#but ‘this is the only reason humans create!’ is. untrue.

[florbelles]

today in hag yells at clouds. i’m not sure where this mentality comes from, but people absolutely create without sharing their work. they absolutely create for the sake of it. that everyone everywhere only writes/paints/records/what have you for external validation is fundamentally untrue. people love doing those things. they love doing them alone. often someone’s favorite or best works are the ones that aren’t ever intended to see the light of day because they are made from pure unadulterated love and joy in creating. no, no one’s creative processes or endeavors feel that way all the time. no, it isn’t wrong to seek support or validation for your work. yes, everyone wants to feel appreciated when they share something. yes, often that’s a factor in why that work is shared. it’s not wrong to create with that in mind. it’s not even wrong to prefer the engagement to the process itself. but the notion that it’s the only reason anyone creates, or even the primary reason humans historically have done so, is not only untrue but pretty grim

[thyfleshc0nsumed]

hey crazy question, since you said there is no evil what would you call hitler evil? trump? mussolini? genghis khan? jeffrey dahmer? jeffrey epstein? KKK members? IDF? and if they're evil then i guess you're telling me child rapists are the only ones that shouldn't be called evil? why is that?

I'm gonna ignore your bad faith misreading of my ideas and your attempt to insinuate I am a child abuser and answer your first question for other ppls sake, cuz I think it is a reasonable thing ppl might be grappling with.

In a word, no.

In a few more words, I think the question fails to properly interrogate what I mean when I refer to evil. 'Evil' is a component of a moral framework, and I feel that moral frameworks are by and large shallow and not very useful in furthering for understandings of the world around us, or very conducive to creating material change, from an individual scale to a societal scale.

The central idea I put forward in that post is that it is not some grand moral badness that enables violence and abuse, but rather systems of power. All of your examples speak to this. You mention the wealthy, political leaders, a state backed by a global superpower, and a group that was comprised of people with systemic power over their victims.

Viewing them merely as "evil" is frankly uncurious and in some ways, cyclical and thought terminating. It begs the question: "they're bad because they're bad because they're bad."

We have NO disagreement in the fact that what those people do or did have produced violence and harm, many on a scale which is difficult to fully comprehend the magnitude of. It is equally difficult to understand even how one could act with such cruelty towards fellow human beings. But just because it is difficult to understand does not mean it is impossible. They didn't do those things because they were born with some kind of evil gene or soul.

They, like you and I, were created by the context of the world around them. If Adolf Hitler died as a child, would Germany have been rid of its antisemitism or have lost its imperial ambitions? Would war have been averted? Certainly not. There were specific, relatively measurable conditions which allowed fascism to flower. If not him, someone else would have helmed that movement.

If Adolf Hitler were born in another place and time, he would not be Adolf Hitler in any meaningful sense. A person is more or less a sum of their environment. People cannot exist outside the context that they do in fact exist in.

And so to then declare someone as 'evil' amounts to saying just about nothing. It's zero sum. If people do harm simply because they are evil, then what can be done? Create a list of them and then systematically exterminate them?

Many people have twisted my words and claimed that what I am saying is that we should expose our bellies and allow bigots to gut us, or that I equivocate violence against oppressors and violence against the oppressed. This is categorically untrue. When violence is brought against you, violent response can be prudent.

But what happens after the relations of power have been altered? When the abuser or oppressor no longer has the power to harm you? Is there reason to harm them besides to punish or sate a desire for revenge? If they no longer have the means to do 'evil,' then what purpose does violence against them serve besides for the sake of our own bloodlust?

You will not see me shed a tear for Israeli settlers killed by opposition forces, or for abusers killed by a victim defending themself because those relations of power are still in place. Settlers can leave, soldiers can dodge the draft, and abusers can stop abusing.

But if they settle, kill, and abuse because they are 'evil,' then what choice did they have to begin with? And what can be done to stop colonialism, state violence, and abuse in the future? Are evil people just going to stop being born?

The framework of evil adds nothing, gives no solutions, and hinders progress by giving us amnesty for not looking at our own relationship to power structures. But a materialist, analytical framework provides us tools to deconstruct those structures and hopefully move beyond them.

[tocomplainfriend]

It feels less like you want to address a real life problem to characters, but more like you want to have another of your characters you constantly baby and want others to fangirl over.

TW: Rape, SA, Racism, Stereotyping, Homophobia, Acephobia, Arophobia.

The representations of topics in media DOES affect real people.

Fiction can affect reality.

Let's start easy, Jaws. This goes back to Hazbin I promise.

"Since the release of Jaws in 1975, the world has witnessed a staggering decline of 71% in shark and ray populations, and around 100 million sharks are killed each year." (including multiple practices of mass hunting sharks in competition)

Both Steven Spielberg and the original writer Peter Benchley regret the movie and book. It's a big reason of the shark treatment, when it started by old fishermen worrying about shark biting people in the beaches they made money of.

Even if you aren't a shark killer yourself, a lot of things you believe of sharks are untrue myths that come from making sharks "evil" human killer animals. Sharks cannot smell blood from miles away, that's not even how water works, the particles of blood need to enter their nostrils. Sharks are not man eaters, they attack other prey animals before human. Shark attacks are extremely rare, even if they happen they are not justifiable to kill all sharks.

Sharks actually have personalities they can fit in, they are smart and recognize people and boats- and form positive relationships with people. They can even like getting pet by people.

Other level to represent other thing sin media that affects reality we can address Queer, representation as a topic.

I hope it is not a surprise for you... possible non-straight, non-cis person reading this. That the constant representation of gay man as kid predator is a problem. They used old commercial (PSA) to spread negative views of gay man. Media is used to spread messages and affect its viewer. This is, there are cartoons created by Jehovah witness (or similar religions) to spread their beliefs and teach to their children in an easy, digestible way.

Same with the amount of straight woman that went off to read shitty yaoi manga and fetishy gay wattpad stories, and went to sexualize and diminish queer men. Constantly making gay man's personality into bottom or top (uke and seme shit). I witness this irl, others have too.

Same with shitty men that view Lesbians as a porn machine for men, cause "monkey brain like woman, lesbian = two women". Which happens in general and adult media. All of these are EASY examples.

Another one which turns out many people don't think about. Having your representation of an AroAce character (on purpose or not) be the psychopath with no feelings. Associating the not being romantically or sexually to means you have no heart, to be abnormal, by then a psychopath. An abuse or serial killer.

Fiction does affect reality-

A racist film, 'Birth of the nation' Revived the KKK and let to all the discrimination, and the homicide of black people of centuries ahead.

-

Coming back around, how you treat the topic of SA, and r-pe- affects the real world. You would think someone who wrote that, had in mind on how that affects people in real life. Didn't you want to represent victims of SA/R-pe that are sex workers and male?

Reducing the r-pist, pimp, trafficker character to an air head to treat as silly is crazy to do. Specially as... oh idk... the creator? Both this and the tweet of the voice actor calling Val "Bubbles Coded" is so crazy. The character is also not deep enough by itself, it's pretty much Stupid and a R-pist sex trafficker. The tweet below Viv's fucking kills me too.

The fact Val is shown to be air head stupid doesn't delete he backed Angel (and by being a sex trafficker and a pimp, and him licking charlie that means he has multiple victims) into a corner and under his control. Too then abuse of him in many different ways. Manipulations are not only done by Super mastermind people, and representing it in such way diminished, affects people who have being manipulated and actually try to question if they have being or not. Manipulators can be normal, average people, they usually are not obvious. Even if Val is openly a shitty person that's really obvious, it doesn't detract from him being manipulative to people. The scene where Val threatens him in chains that is manipulation, his text messages are manipulation (even if you think it is too obvious to be successful).

How you represent SA/R-PE, and its perpetrators, do affect real life.

Going around and having your "serious R-pe episode", to then go in other episodes or the other series you are writing to make r-pe/sa jokes is terrible. For the person that directed the whole scene of poison to NOT be r-pe/sa victim (said by themselves) with a r-pe fetish with this character's in specific, to directed in the most graphic way possible is awful. To go around babying your r-pist character is crazy.

Hope you understand that this doesn't mean not treating any topic at all. Creators should be awere on how they treat topics and the scenarios they create with them, too. People and viewers need to also put their brain to understand the media they consume. But you can't always put all blame only on the viewers of a series, if media is messy is a fault of the media. You can criticize both.

You need to acknowledge Valentino is indeed a terrible person, You don't need to delete his actions or the weight of them.

I also just know that a lot of Val fans just like him to draw him in r-pe art and get their fetishized gay ship. Cause that's what they are into. You won't even do that with a woman, because you are into your fucked up fetishized gay porn from wattpad you never left behind.

If you like him, FUCK IT, just please take his abuse seriously. Don't default your entire usage, and view of the character to be 'uwufied' fandom stuff, please.

I hate how the topic has being treated, in and out of the show. I'm a victim, and I'm hurt by how these things are treated and knowing how it affects others. Even in things I haven't watched! Don't make the argument don't like it? Just don't watch it. The movies from the video of SA of men being a joke, many I haven't watch- that still affects over all. It's still a problem and it's disheartening.

Also have this:

[kanna-12r]

Hi!! I wanna know and see your OCs! Tell me more about themmmmm- Lens/Birdie

Birdieee!! 💕

Sorry this took way too long! ;;;;;

I lost this draft a few times so I was about to make it its' own post, but thankfully I found it!

This is a post filled with several tidbits about all eight of my children! Beware, it is very long 💦

This sweetheart right here is S-2508, with gifted name "Lady" 🤍

She was a frontline medic, now mostly stays as the medbay's psychological nurse/caretaker and [redacted].

Considered 'defective' or valued less due to her being a non-combatant, her inability to disregard distinguish emotions, and unawareness towards danger long before an incident that renders her broken.

Post-incident, she regularly steams out smoke when experiencing negative emotions. This could lead to a full-blown glitches and seizure. (Reference: Barbara Shadow from Shadow House)

Her veil and vial necklace is inspired by Victorian mourning attire. The vial is a memorial piece of sort.

She tends to unconsciously avoid other agents out of habit.

Although it takes a toll on her, Lady spends most of her time watching the live broadcast, sometimes making notes in order to be able to care for injured agents straight after.

The arm cuff on her right arm is a gift from her 1st partner, Faerie.

This darling over here is C-0209, you may call her "Faerie".

She was a weaponsmith and a battle agent like any other, with a scythe as her preferred weapon of choice.

A polaroid camera-head. In contrast with her peers, she couldn't record or broadcast her views.

Her wings and headwings are her personal customization. You may pet them if you ask for permission.

Capable of at least carrying two people when flying up in the air.

Friendly, but considered as some sort of an airhead and unserious agent.

Has a massive crush towards both Lady and Mystic. She was the one who gifted them their current personal names!

Gave one of her arm cuffs to Lady when they got paired to be partners.

Considered dead non-active post-incident, due to her core energy being shattered. There's a chance for her to be revived, hence Lady's vial.

This woman right here is TV-1309 with personal name "Mystic"!

She's an supervisor / overseer and Lady's 2nd partner / guardian.

Rather monotone and harsh, only has a definite soft spot crush towards Lady.

The only one out of others that was created prior to the war (as a companion), has met and worked for humans before.

Prone to jealousy, considers herself as inferior against her TV peers due to her original nature.

Dislikes comparison in general.

The dogtag necklace has her serial number and personal names engraved onto it.

Acts rather indifferent towards the Alliance, despite her diligently working for them against the damned toilets. Reasons are [redacted].

If you have no business with her, please remember to never come near. For your own safety.

This man is a medic cam numbered C-1311, with personal name "Chevron".

The leader of Lady's team. Takes high pride in his job, and is very pressured by others' expectations.

Acted rather apathetic towards his members, adamant with his commands, and prioritized their performance on top of everything else despite the relentless shenanigans that they caused.

Does not acknowledge weaknesses and disregards anything that he deems untrue in his view. Your opinion does not matter, it's better to not fight him.

Similarly to Lady, he does not understand emotions. But in contrast with that, he is similar to Mystic in regards of harboring jealousy towards his comrades.

Post-incident, he lost his pride and swore to keep a closer eye to the surviving ones he has left.

Fought the higher-ups twice due to him refusing to let any of his surviving members being dismantled or thrown away.

This big guy is LS-1410, and was gifted the name "Ornate"!

The vice-leader, a big softie and gentle man who acts like the opposite of Chevron.

Still a pretty strong and relentless guy, a very good combatant despite his main job as a medic. Why is he even a medic if he has the capability necessary for fighting?

Acted as Lady's unofficial guardian before Mystic. Was valued similarly due to his meek personality.

Post-incident, he begged to be taken away with others for not being able to fulfill his role in the Alliance despite his fixable injuries. His wish was not granted.

He taught Lady on how to deal with her emotions and steaming habit.

Has similar cracks like Lady at the back of his head.

Usually tasked to take care of the non-surviving agents along with Lady. Mostly because they're the only ones who are seen as dedicated enough.

This sassy-ass guy is S-2110, you may refer to them with their gifted name, "Euphony"!

A speaker medic that thrives from causing chaos and shenanigans within the team, which commonly isn't seen from a medic. Nowadays, they're more melancholic though.

Has an infinite amount of energy that's more fitting to that of a battle agent.

A pretty good combatant. Others wonder why are they even a medic in the first place?

Elegy's lover. Loves dragging him to the crimes they're about to commit.

In contrast with the chaos, they like to sing in a very soft, elegant manner. The one who taught Lady to regulate her singing.

Lost half of their core and both legs during the incident. Their legs got fixed just fine, but now they have trouble staying active for a prolonged amount of time. (Reference: Padparadscha from Houseki no Kuni)

Still helps around as a medic in the medbay along with Lady. Don't piss them off though, they know what they are.

This guy right here is C-1310, he's gifted with the name "Elegy".

A laid-back cam that loves tinkering and fixing machinery, hence why he fits as a medic, yet also not.

Pretty calm and level-headed, but also an enabler to his lover chaos. Could go batshit insane if it's anything involving Euphony.

Was a battle agent before being sent to the medbay along with Euphony. Reasons are [redacted].

Has personal grudge towards Chevron due to the incident. Or maybe he's just a hater, who knows? Euphony knows.

Ornate is rather intimidated by him.

His favorite pastime is to listen to the speakerheads in his team sing.

Post-incident, he likes to spend his time sorting through the Alliance's collection of documents and records, acting as a librarian or some sort while still helping as a medic.

He could ruin anyone, figuratively or literally.

Lastly, this big baby right here is "Arete", a clock mimic that is based on the setting from our dearest Cosmica!

They spent their entire young phase alone, with no parents nor guardians, hence their lack of understanding about the world. They still do not have any friends, although they know other mimics exist.

Loves plushies and dolls. They love collecting them within their nest as a form of safe haven.

Their name is a piece of memorial. The necklace and bow were also part of it.

Was found by S-2508 (Lady) during her rare journey outside of the base.

Refuses to talk to anyone else besides Lady, and communicates mainly through acted out signs (usually using a plushy they carry at the time).

Has an irregular 'eating' habits, causing the life energy glow to be all over the place and prolonged sleeping cycle.

These ones are characters that are present in my fic series so far. They're not OCs since they are not intended to be specific individuals with their own backstories, but I'll drop these doodles here just because.

There are "you" or "y/n", the speaky-cam pair we met in the first chap, our worrywart Scientist Cam, Large Speaky, our big boi Strider Speaker, and our darling TVman (he's not pictured here cause I ran out of place, too much pics).

Idk if I'll actually post 'em anytime soon since most of them are nonsense scribbles, but yea!

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Jo Bartosch

Published: Apr 21, 2024

How did people emerge from the hysteria of the witch trials? What must it have felt like to live through the period when supposed witches were suddenly revealed to be ordinary women? What did the accusers say when it became clear that these supposed agents of Satan were simply adult human females? Did they feel guilt and try to make amends? Did they shirk their responsibility? Or did they double down?

The reactions to the publication of the Cass Review last week might give us some idea. The activists, medical professionals and celebrities who championed the trans cause have been confronted with the horror they helped create. Dr Hilary Cass’s report into the NHS’s treatment of gender-confused kids has radically transformed the trans debate, exposing ‘gender-affirming care’ as a dangerous experiment. Now, the disciples of trans ideology are scrambling to save face.

The most common reaction from cheerleaders of trans ideology has been to meekly plead ignorance. One such case is that of Dr Adam Rutherford, geneticist, science communicator and president of Humanists UK – an organisation that in recent years has made a hard turn away from science and rationality in favour of worshipping the cult of gender identity. Yet when he was invited to comment on the Cass Review by Sex Matters director Maya Forstater on X, Rutherford said: ‘It’s not something I know much about.’ Really? It’s somewhat difficult to believe that Rutherford has somehow missed seeing this bit of hugely significant medical news.

This is mirrored by the bleating entreaties for ‘nuance’ from television presenter Kirstie Allsopp. For the past few years, Allsopp has smeared gender-critical views as transphobic. Now she is attempting to rewrite history by claiming that it has always ‘been possible to debate these things and those saying there was no debate are wrong’. We all know this isn’t true. As JK Rowling correctly points out, ‘one of the gender ideologues’ favourite slogans is “no debate”’.

Perhaps the most egregious response of all has come from former Stonewall CEO Baroness Ruth Hunt. It was Hunt who oversaw the charity’s transformation from a gay-rights charity to an LGBT lobby group, with the emphasis firmly on the T. It was under her watch that Stonewall tried to silence warnings about the dangers of experimental puberty blockers. Yet last week, Hunt told The Times that she had simply ‘trusted the experts’ on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, so she couldn’t possibly be held accountable. Given that Stonewall itself was deferred to as an ‘expert’ organisation on the issue of gender-affirming care, it is hard to accept Hunt’s projection of innocence. She was hardly some misled ingénue.

Even more deranged and delusional are those who have dismissed the Cass Review as ‘unscientific’. Apparently, Cass’s four years of research and the reams of data she gathered are simply a pretext for promoting a ‘transphobic’ narrative. This rejection of reason is perhaps most eloquently demonstrated by the hyperbolic hashtag, #CassKillsKids, which has been tweeted out by the likes of broadcaster and trans activist India Willoughby. But this position is so patently untrue that only a small minority of the most committed zealots seem to be defending it.

The fact is, it is incredibly difficult for trans activists to obscure their roles in this scandal. Many of them must now be aware that they cheered on a gruesome, ideologically motivated experiment on children. After all, the facts are now indisputable.

In measured tones and meticulous detail, Cass’s report reveals what was really going on inside the NHS’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). She concludes that the ‘gender affirming’ medical treatments it provided, like puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, are based on ‘wholly inadequate’ evidence. Doctors are usually cautious when adopting new treatments, but Cass says ‘quite the reverse happened in the field of gender care for children’. Instead, thousands of children were put on an unproven medical pathway. Worse still, medical professionals seemed largely uninterested in uncovering the side effects and long-term risks of these drugs. Cass says that all but one adult gender clinic refused to share patient data that would allow her team to study how childhood transitioners fared as adults. This made it virtually impossible to research the potential longer-term consequences of transitioning.

The implications of the review are so grave that politicians have had no choice but to act. On Monday, health secretary Victoria Atkins gave an excoriating speech to parliament, laying out the changes in policy that have already been made and those still to come. She reiterated that NHS England would no longer be able to prescribe puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria outside of clinical trials. She also promised a crackdown on private prescriptions, as well as an urgent review on clinical policy for prescribing cross-sex hormones. Vitally, she also announced that NHS trusts that initially refused to cooperate with the review will now share their data, hopefully opening the door for further research. These developments were all sorely needed.

Atkins also made a point of thanking the clinicians, academics, activists and journalists who raised the alarm. She acknowledged that they had ‘risked their careers’ to do so. She told her fellow politicians that it should trouble each of them that the NHS ‘was overtaken by a culture of secrecy and ideology that was allowed to trump evidence and safety’.

Finally, politicians are taking these concerns seriously. Until very recently, they did not want to know. Back in May 2019, I was one of a handful of people to attend the First Do No Harm meeting at the House of Lords. There, in a tiny cramped room, we listened to clinicians and campaigners who were desperately worried about the goings on in the GIDS Tavistock clinic in London.

First Do No Harm was organised by campaigner Venice Allan and Let Women Speak founder Kellie-Jay Keen (aka Posie Parker), with the aim of bringing together journalists, politicians and medical experts. It was chaired and spon.sored by Labour peer Lord Lewis Moonie, who himself had a background in psychology and clinical pharmacological research. Among the attendees was psychoanalyst Marcus Evans. He had resigned from his post as a governor at the Tavistock clinic in February that year, citing concerns about the influence of lobby groups on clinical practice.

Despite this wealth of knowledge and expertise, First Do No Harm went largely ignored by politicians. Invitations were sent out to every member of parliament. But, aside from Moonie, the only politicians in attendance were Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Conservative MP David Davies. As Evans explained at the time: ‘No one would basically attend, they’d be threatened that they would have the whip withdrawn if they attended… the silencing of opposition in this area is unbelievable.’

There was certainly a cost for Moonie. After over 40 years in the Labour Party, he was told by party general secretary Jenny Formby that his membership would be at risk if he proceeded with the event. So he resigned. Five years on, and the concerns of Moonie, a small band of whistleblowing clinicians and tenacious campaigners have finally been acknowledged.

While First Do No Harm was the first public meeting bringing concerned voices together, staff within GIDS had already been sounding the alarm for some time. It was all the way back in 2004 that Susan Evans, wife of Marcus, first spoke out about the ‘precipitous referral’ of gender-confused children on to a medical pathway. As a clinical nurse at the Tavistock, she tried to raise the possibility that there were alternatives to medically transitioning children. But she was advised that GIDS would be unable to attract patients without offering puberty blockers. Evans resigned in 2007.

Today, Evans tells me that, while she is relieved about the findings of the Cass Review, she is frustrated to see ‘what happened at GIDS described as a debate between two sides’:

‘I wanted to ensure that kids were receiving a thorough assessment and that as a team there would be a more holistic exploration… That’s not a toxic debate, that is clinical discussion and that’s what a responsible clinician ought to do. All I ever did was raise ordinary but important clinical and safeguarding concerns and questions. I was inquisitive.’

Thankfully, there were still some other inquisitive clinicians out there. In 2018, Dr David Bell, consultant psychiatrist and staff governor at the Tavistock, wrote an internal report that slammed GIDS for promoting a model of uncritical gender affirmation. He blamed trans lobby groups like Mermaids and Stonewall for infecting the organisation. He also explained that many of the young patients seeking to medically transition would otherwise grow up to be lesbian, gay or bisexual. For this, senior management at GIDS threatened Bell with disciplinary action, in an attempt to silence him.

Shortly afterwards, in 2019, clinical psychologist Kirsty Entwistle, who had previously worked at the GIDS satellite clinic in Leeds, penned an open letter, echoing similar concerns. She warned that patients were falsely being told that puberty blockers were ‘fully reversible’ and that accusations of transphobia were stifling important medical and safeguarding discussions.

GIDS was desperate to silence anyone who expressed doubts about how clinics were operating. One such whistleblower was Sonia Appleby, who was a social worker and safeguarding lead at the Tavistock. In 2016, Appleby began to raise concerns about the shambolic record-keeping and the potential over-prescription of puberty blockers. For this, she was bullied and monstered by management, and shunned by GIDS director Dr Polly Carmichael. Carmichael apparently told her team that Appleby had ‘an agenda’ and discouraged staff from sharing any safeguarding concerns with her. In a small act of justice, in 2021 Appleby was awarded £20,000 in damages for the appalling way she was treated at the Tavistock.

Many of the stories from those who spoke out chime with one another. They talk about being alarmed that children’s underlying issues were being systematically overlooked. GIDS was more interested in prescribing medical treatments than in helping children who were suffering from homophobic bullying, mental-health issues, sexual abuse or other traumas. When questions were asked about the safety of puberty blockers and hormones, staff faced an atmosphere where clinical curiosity was discouraged. In all, between 2016 and 2019, a total of 35 clinicians left the Tavistock, with many citing concerns about children being over-diagnosed. Meanwhile, management ignored all these concerns and children continued to be prescribed puberty blockers.

It was shortly after Carmichael’s appointment in 2011 that GIDS began its first trial of puberty blockers. Before the research had even concluded, these drugs, which have also been used to chemically castrate sex offenders, were made more widely available to children. In 2014, the minimum prescription age was dropped from 16 to 11. Some private clinics even started prescribing them to children as young as nine.

GIDS management, it seemed, was remarkably unbothered by the lack of evidence for puberty blockers. In 2016, Carmichael told a World Professional Association for Transgender Health conference in Amsterdam that they were crucial for trans-identified kids and ‘incredibly successful’. But in the same speech, she admitted that ‘actually, the Dutch are the only team really who have published long-term perspective studies about this. So there is very little data available.’ Indeed, as Carmichael admits, virtually the only bit of evidence ever referenced in support of puberty blockers is a piece of flawed research from the Netherlands. It was later revealed that the findings from GIDS’s own puberty-blocker trial were far from reliable.

It was left to those on the outside to bring public attention to what was happening at GIDS. Yet, just as with the silencing of clinicians, those outside the medical profession were also smeared as transphobic for questioning the new wisdom about so-called trans kids.

One of the earliest groups to demand an evidence-based approach was Transgender Trend, which was founded by Stephanie Davies-Arai in 2015. She and her organisation were almost instantly hounded and derided by trans extremists. A children’s book published by Transgender Trend was even compared to ‘terrorist propaganda’. But this smear campaign wouldn’t stop the truth from being revealed. Transgender Trend soon attracted the attention of Oxford professor Michael Biggs. In 2019, he published a report with the organisation, showing that the use of puberty blockers did not reduce the mental distress experienced by patients – a conclusion now backed up by Cass.

This reality became impossible to ignore, especially as ‘detransitioners’ began to speak out. The existence of people who regretted their decision to transition proved to be a thorn in the side of the trans movement and a powerful testimony against so-called trans healthcare. In November 2019, a women’s rights group called Make More Noise hosted the first panel discussion of detransitioners in the UK, giving them an opportunity to share their stories with journalists. With testosterone-cracked voices and mastectomy scars, these young women embody the harms of gender medicine. They were the ‘data’ that the clinicians at GIDS had overlooked.

Detransitioners fought to make themselves heard. In 2020, a high-profile legal challenge by detransitioner Keira Bell against the Tavistock prompted NHS England to commission the Cass Review. Leading paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass was then tasked with finding out what was really happening at GIDS.

Detransitioner Sinead Watson, who, as a young adult, took medical steps to present as male, is one of those who gave evidence to the Cass Review researchers. She tells me: ‘They asked about my story, how I was evaluated, how quickly, about the side effects of [testosterone] and about the surgery. They asked how I was helped to deal with the regret when I sought out support from the NHS, and seemed genuinely surprised I had received no help.’

It truly is a scandal that children and youngsters were put on a pathway to medicalisation and then promptly abandoned. There are now calls for a public inquiry, and it looks like adult services will also now face their own Cass-style review. But the problem with the trans ideology is that it extends far beyond medicine. It is a mind virus that has infected almost every British institution.

Certainly, there can never be true justice for detransitioners. They will continue to carry the mistakes of the medical establishment, and the failure of the government, on their bodies. It also seems unlikely that any of the whistleblowers who were vilified for raising the alarm will receive apologies or retractions. Trans cheerleaders will continue to deny any complicity. No doubt the GIDS management and healthcare professionals who tried to suppress the truth will be able to slink off to lucrative careers elsewhere.

Still, the Cass Review has revealed that the witches were right. Its publication ought to mark a historical turning point, and serve as a reminder that truth can win out. We must remember all this when the next hysterical mania sweeps over society.

[alanshee-keeper-of-realms]

I greatly admire Walt Disney and everything he created, I consider him an inspiration to me. I don't like how people like to villainize him, saying things like that he was a Nazi sympathizer or that he was racist. I know he wasn't perfect, but the truth is that no one is, that's what makes us human. I have enormous respect for him, for Roy, Ub and other classic Disney employees. The people I have no respect for are people like Katzenberg, Eisner, Chapek and Iger. They may have done a lot of good things for the company, but they also did a lot of bad things.

Sorry this got a bit long , however Honestly the modern CEOs to me have done nothing but damage I have nothing good to say Iger is the only one I can say there is a little bit that he has done to help contribute

Eisner was only thinking about the mermaid movies

Katzenberg damn near took down black cauldron if you don't know what I'm talking about he literally hated a scene so much he tried telling these animators to edit out certain parts even though this was the 1980s and that was damn near impossible he kept on trying to pressure them into doing it Eisner basically had to pull his leash so he would leave the movie alone however they did make sure that one scene was cut down

Katzenberg is also the reason 2D animation is out of the company but I will give him the factor that he created DreamWorks out of sheer spite with Spielberg and Geffen and that still gets me cackling to this day

Eisner though is the reason Splash Mountain was named that did you know originally Splash Mountain was called the Zip a Dee ride but he renamed it to Splash Mountain after the Splash H20 movie

And let's not mention the train wreck that was the '90s Eisner was literally trying that one Steve Buscemi meme of hello fellow kids there was actual gang fights because of the Clubs for teens he made that became known to the local gangs and became hang out spots. No I'm not joking go look it up and in the parking lot of Disneyland a kid was shot and killed over these gang rivalries

I'm not even going to mention Chapek because he made Eisner look like a saint in just 2 years canceled Owl House went on a anti-lgbtq rant was quantity over quality many projects were canceled because they did not align with his values

When the board members literally hunt Iger back down because they want to boot this guy out you know he's very fucked

And then Iger started out promising he would even go to the parks and make sure everything was okay. Nobody in the CEO position had really done that just randomly like him since Walt, this is why the 2010s are seen as some of the best years because he was initially pretty damn good

But then he started slipping I don't know if it's just a fumble because he's trying to repair everything with Chapek, but he is made some condemming decisions, especially with the whole Palestine and Anti LGBTQA situation right now.

When it comes to Walt Roy and Ub, I will be the first to tell you Walt was not perfect however he definitely was not a Nazi sympathizer he in fact had Donald hit Hitler in the face with a tomato at one point in time,

And as for people saying he was anti-semite that was based on an old rumor because of the whole no beards thing of the parks

like legitimately it was rumored at one point he was a part of the Communist Party like these are very old rumors that were proven untrue.

He didn't like beards because according to people around him he was afraid women would find them intimidating you got to remember the societal side it was a completely different era not an excuse however you have to factor it in whether you like it or not.

Walt Roy and Ub were three guys just trying to make it like everyone else, that's not even bringing up what would happen with Oswald damn near brought the company to it's knees because Oswald was supposed to be the mascot supposed to be the one they made their shorts off of and just when they think they have it it's all taken away by Mintz

Left damn near penniless and with only a few sketches of what would become Mickey Mouse did they escape Universal and with hard work but also on a wish and a prayer did they manage to bring it back from the brink.

If you see the villain in up btw Charles Muntz yeah that's why they made Charles Muntz I still laugh when I watch that film because the pettiness is beautiful. Thank you to the animators at Pixar and Disney for spitting in his face over half a century later turning him into a literal Disney villain

That is still the greatest comeback I've ever seen.

[leavingthepcg]

Lifton's Eight Criteria helps to identify high control groups, or cults. The eight criteria include:

Milieu Control Perhaps the most important aspect of what makes a "high-demand group" is information and communication control. Members are often isolated from "outsiders", including outside sources not approved by leaders within the group, and family or friends that are not part of the group. Members are often made to "cut off" family and friends that are considered hostile toward the group.

Mystical Manipulation High-demand groups, particularly religious ones, will often use or manipulate events in order to further their message and bolster their doctrine. Examples of this are making prophecies or predictions that get repeatedly altered or forgotten about, or pointing to past predictions as being confirmed by a current event.

Demand for Purity Humans are flawed, and high demand groups exploit this fact by demanding perfection of their members. Sometimes, groups will even acknowledge that perfection is unachievable, but that individuals are perpetually at fault for being the only reason they cannot achieve it. This enhances feelings of guilt and shame, leading the member to feel as if the only way to improve themselves is to seek help from the group.

Confession High control groups exploit their members emotionally by having them "confess" supposed wrongdoings to another member or members. This makes the member vulnerable and constantly alert to their own and others' "sins". It is the promotion of hyper-policing of self and peers.

Sacred Science The group's ideology is held as the ultimate, capital-T "Truth"; it is the one standard by which all aspects of life must be measured. This often leads to science-denial, conspiracy-minded thinking, and isolating oneself based on the belief that others are unenlightened.

Loaded Language Members of cults will often reveal that they are a member of an in-group in the use of language. The group creates unique vocabulary, or changes/enhances the use of a term in order to create a doctrine of thought. This tactic helps to reform the member's thought process by embedding concepts into their minds that can be easily repeated and recognized through the repeated use of a simple phrase or word.

Doctrine Over Person Group belief is held as the ultimate "truth", trumping personal experience, beliefs, values, or reasoning. If the member feels or believes that something about the group is "off" or "untrue", they are taught to dismiss those thoughts and to internalize guilt about having "doubts".

Dispensing of Existence This describes the portion of thought control that creates an "us vs. them" attitude in the member. The member may be convinced that those outside the group are "sinful", "damned", "unenlightened", "ignorant", etc.

[learnyouabiology]

Fun fact: Wood Frogs Survive Icy Winters via Frog-sicle status

The wood frog, Rana sylvatica, is scientifically referred to as “iconic” (source: Costanzo 2019). 

The reason they are iconic is because they are famously able to freeze into a literal block of ice in the winter, remain frozen all season long, and then thaw out in the spring without any of the expected dying of cold! Incredible!

(you can recognise a wood frog by they lil mask by its eyes! Naturalists call it a raccoon mask, and honestly, 10/10 excellent raccoon disguise, completely indistinguishable)

I’ve known about this for years, because I spent a not-insignificant part of my childhood OBSESSED with frogs, but even 8-year-old me didn’t know that these frogs live north of the arctic circle. 

That’s right! They live in Alaska! Where winter lasts more than seven months.

Wood frogs are actually the only amphibian in North America to live this far north. (there are a few species in Eurasia but THIS ISN’T ABOUT THEM 😉 source: x). 

(I’m not saying Ohio wood frog are wimpy, but I AM calling them “““““delicate”””””. Image from Costanza 2019)

As winter approaches, wood frogs create little furrows in the forest floor, just big enough for them to wedge themselves into, and cover themselves with fallen leaves and other forest detritus (Costanza 2019). They then settle into their little shelter and begin to go through what I assume is a traumatizing experience.

(she loves a good furrow)

The furrow provides a small amount of insulation from the outside air, but even inside their shelter, it can get pretty cold. 

In fact, wood frogs can survive temperatures as low as -16°C (3°F for the people who use the other system). 

Generally, if you are a water-based organism, being exposed to temperatures so far below the freezing point is... bad. And if the water inside of a water-based organism freezes? That is Extra Bad.

Luckily, wood frogs have a foolproof way to stay safe: they are absolutely FULL of sugar and urine. 

(I would have said “piss and vinegar” but the vinegar part is technically untrue 😔)

Specifically, the frog increases the concentration of urea in their body tissues before winter sets in. Urea, which is what urine is made of in humans, is commonly used by amphibians to protect themselves from losing too much water to the environment (Costanza 2019). However, wood frogs take it to the Extreme. 

Additionally, as the frog begins to freeze, the liver begins to break down the glycogen stores that had been built up in advance, releasing high concentrations of glucose (aka sugar) into the bloodstream of the frog, (Costanza 2019).

By changing the properties of the internal fluid, the urea and glucose protect the frog’s cells from being damaged by ice, protecting various internal structures and even helping to regulate their metabolism (Costanza 2019). 

(there’s also some stuff with nitric oxide and membrane adaptation but it’s A Lot and if you’re interested I recommend Constanza 2019. see bottom of post for references!)

(frog: *is flat and frozen*)

While frozen, the frog doesn’t need to eat, or even to breathe, because their metabolism is comes to a near-standstill. Their heart stops beating, and they can survive having up to 70% of it’s body fluids completely frozen (Costanza 2019).

There’s still a little bit of metabolic activity happening, just to keep the frog alive, but this allows the frog to live for months while frozen (nearly) solid until the spring melt comes! 

The frog will generally stay in its little burrow for a few hours as it thaws, presumably processing the trauma of what just happened (also making a few physiological changes to survive the transition from ice cube to frog, I guess), before heading outside to immediately reproduce with the snowmelt.

(a photo of bliss)

This has been fun fact friday!

Hey y’all! As winter turns to spring, I wanted to do a little series of how animals survive cold, snowy winters when they are unable to migrate. Today was a frozen frog, and next I’ll talk about how turtles survive under the ice all winter long!

Stay tuned!

References under the read more

Smithsonian channel (2015) Frogsicles: Frozen but still alive. https://youtu.be/pLPeehsXAr4

Costanzo, J. P. (2019). Overwintering adaptations and extreme freeze tolerance in a subarctic population of the wood frog, Rana sylvatica. Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 189(1), 1-15. doi: 10.1007/s00360-018-1189-7

Kuzmin, S.L & Tessier, D.F. (2013) Amphibians and reptiles. In: Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013  http://www.arcticbiodiversity.is/index.php/the-report/chapters/amphibians-and-reptiles

Layne Jr, J. R., & First, M. C. (1991). Resumption of physiological functions in the wood frog (Rana sylvatica) after freezing. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 261(1), R134-R137.

[vertigoblockbuster]

Info Dump: Ardra Nakshatra

In vedic astrology, Rudra is the ruling deity of Ardra nakshatra, the 6th lunar mansion in the Hindu zodiacal system. Rudra is a form of Lord Shiva the Destroyer. Within Hinduism Shiva is one of three principle deities, the other two being Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma. In extremely simple terms, Brahma is the creator of the universe, Vishnu is the preserver of it, and Shiva destroys it to recreate a new universe.

Rudra is very different from the other gods. Rather than desiring nice clothing and adornments, Rudra prefers to wear animal skin and tree bark. A graveyard is his preferred dwelling place over a peaceful home. He doesn't wash or cut his hair and searches for a deeper meaning that he values above all earthly comforts. One who has Rudra nakshatras (Ardra, Mula, and the two Bhadrapadas) prevalent in their birth chart has the power to unleash their anger onto untrue, impure things. Lies, harmful people, and corrupt institutions are the types of animals Rudra hunts. Evil is washed away by his storms and a clean slate is made available for good things to manifest.

Shiva is eternal and therefore is not literally "born," instead he is an embodiment of an energy that existed in Brahma first. The story of Rudra's "birth" from Brahma goes like this: Brahma worked hard to create beings to help him in forming the universe. When they disobeyed him because they did not want to mingle with lower earthly things, Brahma understood their reasoning but was simultaneously furious at their disobedience. His rage built up between his eyes (think of how we scrunch our faces when we become angry) and when he pulled it out of his head it took the form of a howling baby that was purple and androgynous, Rudra.

To help Brahma in his creation of the universe, Rudra was instructed to separate his male and female forms and make eleven copies of himself so that they could reproduce together. These beings formed from Brahma's fury were full of anger and threatened to destroy the world that he was attempting to create. Brahma instructed Rudra to control his anger by meditating. Rudra threw himself into yoga to conquer his mind and become peaceful. Brahma was pleased with the work that Rudra had done on himself and renamed him Shiva. Literally translated, Rudra means the "howler" or the "most frightening one" while Shiva means "calm" or "benevolent." Rudra's self-mastery through yoga is why he is revered as one of the original masters of the practice, another being Brahma. Rudra is perhaps a more notable yogic master because of the inner rage he had to conquer within himself. His path to self-control was more challenging because he is the embodiment of Brahma's anger.

When used unhealthily, this destructive force is inflicted on innocent people and things around the native with Rudra influencing their chart. It can also be turned inward by the native onto themselves. Here we can see the archetype of the tortured bad boy or the tragic bad girl. No superficiality is tolerated (at least not comfortably) at this point in the zodiac and must be destroyed, including one's own character.

Some of the symbology associated with Ardra includes the color green (Ardra translating to mean moist one or fresh one), a jewel, a human head and a teardrop. The color green reminds us of the rich landscape of a forest after a storm. After a violent downpour the plant life is hydrated, nourished, and rejuvenated. Here is a reminder that storms, while frightening experiences best avoided from a superficial standpoint, are not only beautiful on a deeper level but necessary for growth. This same principle can easily be extended to human beings and is the major lesson we learn from Ardra nakshatra: Anger is not bad. We need anger. The challenge is directing it properly.

The symbol of the jewel evokes ideas of the formation of diamonds. It is commonly known that tremendous heat and pressure are required to form diamonds, and that they are held around the world to be extremely valuable. Again, we are brought back to the idea of using our turbulent, angry emotions (think of the heat and pressure required for a diamond to form) as tools to create a life that we truly value (the diamond itself).

The human head and teardrop are associated with Ardra because it is a nakshatra of intellect, deep reflection, and also of anguish and suffering. Crying has been said to be a remedy for those with prominent Ardra placements in their chart because it releases pent up emotions. After crying we are left with a clean emotional slate and there is now space to recreate ourselves.

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

I credit Vic Dicara for the information on the story of Rudra/Shiva. Please check out his YouTube channel Vic Dicara's Astrology if you are interested in learning about vedic astrology.

[skaldish]

Thank you for answering my question about periods. I’m wondering then if this whole concept of impurity in heathenry is also untrue or not?

A number of people were saying that all human fluids were impure. No praying if you had an open wound or anything. No sneezing during a ritual. But like...by their logic, you would be considered unable to worship if you wore a colostomy bag, because feces are impure. Which seems bad to me?

I’m sorry for being ignorant, by the way. I didn’t mean to anger or upset anyone. I’m new to this all, and I’m trying to learn.

You're welcome. The concept of "impurity" doesn't exist in Heathenry.

There's a few reasons why you might be seeing people claim such a thing though.

1. People want structure.

First of all, Heathenry lacks anything in the way of scriptures and doctrines. However, a lot of Heathens (specifically American ones) coming from a doctrine-based religious background, view this is a flaw rather than a feature. If anything, the lack of doctrines means they don't know what to DO to be Heathen, which can be anxiety-inducing for people who have never experienced any other paradigm.

Paradigm shifts take a while, so the way most people facilitate this is by creating their own practice observances. This provides them with a framework for being Heathen, but it's also something they understand as being for them, and is not something everyone needs to observe.

But some people try to force their ideas on others by selling it to them as "the way you do things." I can only guess why. Maybe it's because they don't feel like their own practice is valid unless other people agree with it. Maybe they came from a high-control religious environment and "converting others" is how they understand "doing religion." Or maybe they heard it from someone else, and because they're new at this and insecure they're going to repeat what they heard in order to feel like they're doing things "right." The reasons are endless, and people's minds are enigmas even to themselves.

The point is, if ANYONE's trying to tell you that there's things you HAVE to observe in Norse Heathenry, they're either lying, grossly misinformed, or simply ignorant of alternatives. Whatever the reason, it's still false.

2. The vikings were very clean compared to the rest of Europe, and many Heathens emulate this.

For lack of any scripture or doctrines, many Heathens develop personal orthopraxy by looking at what the pre-Christian Norse people (with the assumption Norse Heathenry died out with the introduction of Christianity, which we're only now figuring out isn't true. But I digress.)

One of the things people commonly incorporate into their praxis, is personal cleanliness. The pre-Christian Norse people supposedly had remarkable personal hygiene compared to members of other European societies, so it's pretty common for contemporary Heathens to adopt personal cleanliness into their practice in some way.

"Staying clean of bodily fluids for ritual" is something I've only seen practiced by folks running The Longship, and they presented it as an option because it's something they made up for themselves that made sense to them. To keep their ritual spaces remain clean of bodily fluids is something they chose to adopt after establishing a working understanding of Heathenry in their minds.

It's my understanding that was supposed to be an example of praxis, but unfortunately the nature of what it pertains to lends itself to skeevy interpretations.

(This is one of those circumstances where experienced practitioners mistake "having experience" with "knowing how to teach it." Many folks don't realize that pedagogy is its own unique skill. As a rule-of-thumb, you don't teach people exceptions to the norm until they are proficient with the norm, otherwise it creates this exact problem.

But in the Longship's defense, it was one of the first non-Folkish public-facing Heathen education websites to exist, so this is very much a situation where something was needed and they had the means to do it.)

Anyways, this misunderstanding could be a reason why you're seeing people claim this is something you HAVE to do.

(I also know the Longship also runs r/Heathenry, so take that as you will.)

3. Heathenry has a white nationalist problem

If something looks suspicious, treat it as such, because Heathenry has a white nationalist problem. Heathen white nationalists refer to themselves as "Folkish" which is a reference to the Volkisch movement of Germany, which was the social precursor to what eventually became the Nazi Party. Today's iteration is referred to as the neo-Volkisch movement, and its ideologies overlap with a number of alt-right and Hate Groups, including TERFs/RadFems for pastoral tradwife reasons.

Some of the talking points these bad actors like using involve encouraging people towards ideas or behavior that already exist in the world, but just so happens to benefit the spread of their ideologies.

For example, if people already observe "maintaining good hygiene" as part of Heathen practice, they might try to push that idea hard, so that people will see hygiene as so valuable that they would be more likely to apply it to things like "genetic hygiene" later (read: "Racial purity").

This doesn't make it unsafe or bad to be heathen. It just means you need to keep a discerning eye out, and to keep your distance from people spreading information in ways that seem very uncompromising, authoritative, and polarizing.

Remember: Heathenry is beholden to people. People are not beholden to it.

I honestly couldn't say for sure if what you experienced was cryptofascist in nature, nor do I recommend trying to verify. But having information about what that can look like can help you discern going forward.

[hoghtastic]

I‘m so happy the stans have a blog now!!! With rules and warnings 😂😂😂 They are so hateful and arrogant and they don’t realize it. The hypocrisy is blooming over there.

I love this anti-hero blog!!! Don’t let their lies get you down. They just can’t handle not being in control of the desired narrative. Apparently Instagram and Facebook aren’t enough.

Thank you for your input, anon. And for your support. 😊💖

Personally, and as I've mentioned countless times here, I've always been an apologist for freedom of speech and freedom of thought. Therefore I have no problem with there being more blogs. Tumblr is a free space after all, and people are free to create, visit and interact with as many blogs as they like. My blog? Their blog? Both? It doesn't matter. Everyone is still very welcome here and everything will remain exactly the same. 😊

I can understand this blog's not being everyone's cup of tea, but is there really anything that is? 🤷‍♀️ There could be a million valid reasons why some people wouldn't enjoy the blog, however, the presented argument is, in my opinion, the most untrue of all. They claim that "it's not good if there's only one person controlling the whole thing", when, first and foremost, this blog has never been the only one of its kind around. There's @alexhandersenblog, which is an older, more established blog than this one, and one which I personally respect and admire. 😊 And secondly, "controlling" is the polar opposite of everything I've always stood for here. Those who've been around since the blog started last July, and those who've just arrived and are just catching up with older posts, can see that everything gets posted — the negative opinions, the positive ones, the discussions, the jokes, the playful banter, the available news, and everything in between. Do I always agree with everything that gets posted? Absolutely not! Does it prevent me from posting it still? Of course not. Because here I don't think no one's opinion is worth more than others. I'm some sort of "moderator" yes, and still have to click the "answer" button for asks to be posted, because — newsflash! Tumblr still hasn't made it possible for asks to be automatically posted without some human (in this case the blog's owner) action. But that's about it. Sometimes I also share my opinion, other times I don't think it's necessary, but I never thought of it as being the absolute truth. It's just my opinion, as valid as anyone else's. And if someone actually agrees with it, and/or thinks some of its arguments are enough to change their own way of thinking, fine. If not, also fine. You're still absolutely free to disagree with me and I'll always still respect you as a person. As I like to say, there are as many opinions as there are people, and it's actually a good thing. It means people are capable of thinking for themselves and it makes room for discussion. Moreover, I always make sure to differentiate when something is just an opinion (by stating "in my opinion", "I think", "I believe", etc...), a fact (by presenting actual proof, such a screenshots and/or links) or a gossip (something written on reddit, some second-hand info from various sources, etc... in which case I'll always remind people that it's impossible to attest the info's veracity and to take it with a grain of salt). All of this is always mentioned on my answers, and it always will be.

Returning to the subject of not posting all asks, unless it's a case of Tumblr malfunctioning and not delivering them to me, which is beyond my control, all of them do get posted. (You may remember this post, when Tumblr notified me of an ask, but the inbox appeared empty, so I asked people to resend it, in case their ask got "eaten". Because it's important to me not to ignore anyone.) And all of you who visit the blog regularly and contribute with your thoughts and opinions know that's true, and that's enough for me. 😊 (Unless the person who keeps accusing me of not posting their asks is the one and only anon I had to block so long ago, for keeping filling the inbox with asks regarding cyberbullying — literally just definitions of the word and some mildly related ones such as catfishing — which added nothing to the discussion, after being publicly told more than once that the topic had been discussed enough? It's the only thing that occurs to me. 🤷‍♀️ Can blocked anons still try to send asks, though, and Tumblr just won't deliver them? Just trying to clear any possible misunderstandings.)

Anyway, and because this is already too long, I'd like to finish with a statement my mother always says — "actions are for those who practice them". My conscience is clear. I've nothing to fear and nothing to hide. I've always done my best to make this blog the most neutral space possible, where everyone and all opinions are welcome, where no one will be attacked or judged for thinking differently. I'm sorry that some people apparently failed to understand this, and I can only thank all of you who've been along for the ride and have made this a fun place to be. Because at the end of the day, it was never that serious and we're only here to have a good time. 😉 And I'll do my best to always keep it this way.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day! 💖

[kidddcaptain]

cinders acceptance

D had been buried. six feet down exactly to the inch, Cinder said something sad and warm, nothing he really remembered now. He did not remember much now that the chaotic mass that was his father lay bare writhing and changing, melting into himself then exploding outward in blood and gore.

cinder knew fear was the proper response but all he felt was disgust. This was a god? A creature posturing trying to seem scarier than it was. Truly it was pitiful, not even the freaks in his home village felt the need to do that, how sad. A god less confident than mortals.

"You reject your purpose." Bhaals voice rumbled through Cinder.

" No I reject the purpose you wished for me to have."

"I am a god I need not wish."

"Clearly untrue but sure."

"You are insolent and a failure, I come here not to convince you, as you are so clearly useless at the one thing I created you for" at this rejection Cinders pride crumbled to dust, he wished for his father to beg. For his worth to be confirmed, and for some odd reason being rejected by evil did not bring that satisfaction "You were to kill without apology and yet you let the lesser haunt your dreams? How foolish. How utterly pitiful. I need not a son whose self-worth is shaken by the end of a life as brief as the human."

"Then what are you here for?" Cinder was barely audible

"To deliver punishment. Until your death those you killed in my church will haunt your dreams as a reminder of what happens when a god is disobeyed, in addition to them this blade, the one you stole from me” a large knife like sword came barrelling down from the sky with a blue tint along the metal "will be the only weapon that will stay in your hand, it holds the soul of the very first shark to exist, my pet, Samehada, and she will eat anything touching the weapon. Including your hand. I cannot wait to devour your toils and troubles." The blade rushed forward and cleaved cinder in two.

As he shot up right fear unseating his heart from its cavernous home. He could have sworn an army of scorpion burrowed their way into his skin.

[eff-plays]

can we get more of your feelings about the durge/astarion stuff pretty please?? because i feel SO vindicated after reading your thoughts and am almost resentful of durge/astarion stuff having everyone so "they're made for each other!" and "they're canon!", it feels so invalidating towards tav/astarion. i really don't like durge either; i have one canon character when i play rpgs and dark urge does not fit them in the slightest 😓

if i wanted to put an understanding spin on it, i guess that's the trade off for having your own custom character with a back story you've created, and at least astarion is so incredibly loving towards tav and talks repeatedly about how incredible they are and how much he cares for them. but i do absolutely have SO many created scenarios in my head where my tav breaks down with their own traumas and ptsd, and astarion is there to comfort and help them through it, because god knows we don't get any of that in the actual game 😭 (i hope this made sense omg, i just love your opinions and want to hear them all)

Honestly I am not generally in the business of having too many opinions on things I haven't personally tried or experienced, so what you've seen so far of my opinions on Durge/Astarion is basically the extent of it, and my reasoning for deciding not to try it in the first place.

However, I can offer some further vindication in that I think saying "they're made for each other" or "they're canon" is such a dipshit and factually incorrect take that it's pretty much not worth getting upset over. People can say and think whatever they want, that doesn't always make it true, particularly not when it comes to RPGs that are meant to be played as you want them. People who say this are fundamentally misunderstanding the concept of an RPG, and they're probably stupid, and their opinions aren't worth considering or taking seriously. Or, they're just trying to upset you and they feel smug about their own choices, in which case you should still ignore them.

Like, I hate Ascended Astarion, but I'm not gonna say Spawn Astarion is canon. If I do say it, I will clarify that it's canon for me, because it is, but canon in general? It would be literally, factually untrue. So why would I say that unless I'm wilfully obnoxious and smug about my choices? Or just dumb? Which I am, but not like that.

Iirc Larian encouraged people to play custom origin for their first playthrough, and people did, and most people tried going for Astarion. That means that, statistically, a shitton of people have Tav/Astarion as their main pairing. Why would they encourage this if it's apparently not canon? Why shoot themselves in the foot by offering an apparently inferior experience first?

Also, just because one writer wrote stuff for one character because they had the time to do so, does not make it somehow the definitive answer. It was clearly not intended to be the only romance where Durge gets a specific variation, I doubt Larian would do that, so it's basically an accident, or at least unintentional.

That being said, even if it was intentional, who's to say it's a good thing? Harkening back to my Dragon Age days, I remember people saying that Andrastian human was clearly the intended experience, and the game struggled to accommodate any other race/class. Does that make it canon? Or just bad game design/writing?

Obviously not saying Larian did a bad job, clearly they did a good job if people are going to bat for it this obnoxiously, but the logic is equally flawed.

I do have issues with Durge in general as a concept (mostly cuz I just don't understand the logic behind including it aside from ... previous game fanservice?) but I haven't even graduated from gamer school yet so I won't get into that.

Also, one thing abt Tav I love that Durge misses out on is just the sheer ballsiness and comedy of rocking up to Bhaal's secret temple and killing all his guys and just not even being involved in any of that shit at all. Durge gets all that angst and drama, sure, and Orin is soo important apparently, but she died in two rounds for me. TWO. Imagine being just some fucking guy who fucks up your shit so bad that you have to restart everything. That amuses me to no end.

So ... there's that, lmao.

[agro-carnist]

One thing that's come from this is that it's shown who is actually interested in the truth and who isn't. The fearmongering, dramamongering crowd don't care about any actual research that's been done on the topics they passionately attack people over. Have they ever bothered to ask what the professionals that study and treat kink, paraphilia, and paraphilic disorders have to say? What their position is? No, they care what other people online believe. They don't let the evidence lead to a conclusion. They look for any "evidence" that supports the conclusion they've already made. They let what they think makes sense to them design the argument rather than anything tangible. They see what big name online has been called out and say that's the proof. What FEELS right is proof. What I consider "normal" is the proof. They very easily brush off any actual evidence shown them as not worth their time, or clearly made by pedo apologists because it doesn't confirm "common sense," or grasp for any tiny reason to dismiss it as untrue, while also providing absolutely nothing to support them. People that care about aligning with what is true actually look into what has been said by people that know what they're talking about, even when they don't come to the same conclusion. They are able to see that there are many potential outcomes and choose the one that they feel has the best supporting evidence, but are willing to change their mind based on new information. This situation isn't just having an opinion or disagreeing with someone, it's specifically anti intellectual and fear mongering. It's designed to paint your enemies as the worst people based on the most bad faith interpretation of what you see, without any room for anything else, no matter how much the evidence disproves you. It is no different than how the ARAs or other fear-based groups function. The goal is to set up a person that does not exist but give it someone's name, and then destroy it. It is not about learning or the truth or protecting anyone. It is about using alarmist tactics to depict yourself as a morally righteous hero by casting out regular people you have deemed as too deviant to be worth human decency. Create a sense of danger based on emotional responses, build that up, and then attack in a blind rage. There is only room for black and white thinking in those groups. Never believe there is a possibility you could be wrong. That's the thinking of predators. Anythinf and everything the enemy does is proof of their monstrous nature. No matter what they say or do, it's bad. And these predators are all around you. They are master manipulators. Once someone is labeled a predator, you can't trust anything they say. They are Bad and we are Good. They don't act like WE do, and we are Good, so they must be Bad. Anything you do, it's for the good of children and animals. Think of the children. Think of the animals. The world is full of predators. Deviancy is predatory. Destroy deviancy at all costs.

But never step out of line and show a whiff of anything your friends have decided is unclean, unacceptable, immoral. They will cannibalize you. This way of life leads to everyone turning on each other at some point. Anyone that doesn't adhere to the arbitrary rules will be attacked. Consider another point of view or ever question what has already been decided as true will make you an outcast. Ever suggest that maybe you are wrong and you'll become a monster too. Because it's not about learning and growing and discovering a better outlook. It's about punishing an imagined evil and maintaining a Visage of righteousness. And what we feel is good must be good, and what we feel is evil must be evil, not matter what anyone, even the experts, say otherwise.

[stuffs-i-wrote]

Demons and Others TW: mentions of baby death, but not graphic

Demons play an essential role in the world of the Others. The name ‘demon’ is actually a misnomer, and the proper term would be “Elemental,” but they don’t tend to use that. I will respect their wishes, and use the titles most demons use, but I feel it would be remiss to not dispel a few fears before delving into the world of the demonic. 

The main fear humans have perpetuated about demons is the fear of possession. These demons are not physically capable of taking over another being’s body. This rumor came to be because of the general charisma most demons tend to have. Another falsehood is how demons are inherent evils, and only want to bring humanity down. That is demonstrably untrue. Of course there are some evil demons, but no more than there are evil humans. There isn’t a one-size fits all personality. 

As the proper name implies, Elementals were originally composed of things found in the natural world. The first types recorded were: shadow, lightning, fire, and wind. This was in the early days of the Others, and was written by a Sovereign. It is likely that they only focused on the flashier demon types and missed a few. As time went on, and demons began to breed outside of their genus, new species began popping up. 

Halflings, any being that is half-demon, cannot be one of the original types. They are their own genus. They have their own species. Halfling species are a mix between natural occurrence and man-made. Halflings can be the emotionals, doll-lings, electritics, and producers. They tend to be more powerful than their parents, and have power over demons and humans alike, whereas demons can only have power over humans. Halflings don’t always know their demon parents, but it’s been recorded that certain types make better parents than others. For example, shadow and fire demons are better at keeping their kids alive and healthy than wind and lightning demons. It might be because of the more femoral nature of flame and shadow, causing them to treat life as something precious, but we’ll never truly know. 

It might not be obvious, so allow me to make it so, genetics has little to no factor in a halflings species. There are trends, but it can be chalked up to more nurture than nature. As an example that I can personally attest to, a shadow demon had a child with another magical being which created three halfling babies. An emotional, a producer, and a doll-ling. I would like to be fully transparent and state that the mother was an Other, and we don’t tend to breed outside our kind. Most halfling babies are human. 

Demons are one of the only reasons that Others can have the luxuries they are afforded. They are the number one driving force behind Others interacting with people outside of their kind. Demons have a history with bringing their human partners into the House. Those humans can bring other humans, and the cycle continues. Sometimes those humans become separated from their children while amongst the Others, either by accident or by force. It’s a symbiotic relationship for all parties. Demons know their children are safe and have people that can help them, humans are relieved from the burden of a child they can’t help, Others are given opportunities to grow their community, and the children are cherished. 

Demons spend most of their long life cycle in the human world, gathering wealth and status. There are rumors of ancient monarchs and powerful figures being demonic or halfling. It can be hard to tell if someone is a demon because of their ability to change their form to match a more human shape, but one of the main signifiers is off eye colors. Demons have different eye colors based on their typings. Shadow demons have black or gray sclera, fire demons have red, pinprick pupils, wind demon eyes have white rings in their irises, and lightning demons have yellow irises. Anything else can be changed on their will. 

Halflings work differently, and most are fairly straightforward to spot. Emotionals have puffy, untameable hair and bags under their eyes. They also have ice-cold hands and cool-toned colorings, even the ones with darker skin. Electrics have green veins, which is sometimes obvious and sometimes not, and green eyes. They also have black on their extremities, looking something like soot or coal dust. Producers and doll-lings are the least human. Doll-lings look exactly as the name implies, like human dolls. Some are more Victorian era, ball-jointed, dolls and some are made of straw and tarp. Producers are a lot more broad in the way they look, but they all have one thing in common. They are all made of some type of food. The one producer I know is made out of sweets and candy, though there have been sightings of vegetable producers, fruit producers, meat producers, and even a mushroom producer. One would assume that producers are fragile, and easily taken advantage of, but that’s untrue. Even if someone were to try and eat a part of them, producers are similar to lizards and grow back their missing parts. 

Each species of demon also has their own powers, but share similar ones as well. Shared powers include: enhanced speed, strength, and agility, elongated life spans, and enhanced regeneration. Shadow demons are able to move through shadows and make physical objects out of shadows, and the rest of their powers tend to follow that sort of pattern. Interesting mentions that break it include: wind demons are able to talk to flying creatures, fire demons can split themselves apart, and shadow demons can multiply their form and silhouette, which makes them appear larger than they are. Lightning demons are considered to be the weakest, mostly because they have no useful interesting powers. They also don’t make strong children, most of the time. 

Halflings are much more diverse in their powers, though they also deal with a lot of physical backlash. Emotionals can make other people feel what they want, and have to work every moment of every day to keep themselves from doing so. Electrics can move through electrical wires, without short-circuiting them unlike lightning demons, but water can cripple them severely. If I may go on a tangent, there aren’t many electrics left because of how often they were left in the care of humans. The human parent would bathe their child or give them water and open them up for disease. There’s also been cases of sickly babies being born because of the liquid in a mother’s womb. The ones that do make it into adulthood have a high chance of being in a tech field. Doll-lings can mind control the people around them, and because they don’t feel pain they can always stitch themselves back up if ripped. However, they are vulnerable to fire, which can make it hard if they’re parent is a fire demon. Producers are considered some of the weakest halflings, because of how easily they can be overpowered. But, with enough strength, they can mold and shape the food they make, even giving it a weird sort of life. 

I have a shallow experience with demonic entities, I know three halflings and one shadow demon, and the halflings I know are Other. Our biology tends to take precedence, our gods changing an infant while blessing it. Sami (emotional), Synda (doll-ling), and Candy (producer) are statistical anomalies. Their powers reflect that. While all three show normal power-sets to other recorded halflings, they also have Other-ish powers, specifically Synda and Candy. 

Synda and Candy are two halflings, who make up one Other. I assume because of the way shadow demons multiply themselves, it caused Ty (the Other the ‘twins’ make as one) to split into two. The split could also be because of the severe trauma Ty dealt with at a young age. It’s too difficult to say. It’s safe to say it had a profound effect on Synda and Candy, and the incredible things they do. Synda, who looks similar to a marionette, can (and has) made their own pocket dimensions, where they can change and shift the lands to look like what they want. They can also see and hear everything that happens in these dimensions and control the people stuck with an accuracy that is truly frightening. Candy is also terribly strong, able to make full grown people out of sugar. These people are able to think and move with her out of sight, though she does control them. 

Sami has the baseline powers of an emotional, but she also has traits of her father, the shadow demon. She has destroyed entire rooms during emotional breakdowns from lashing shadows, but again, it’s hard to tell how much is demon and how much is Other.

--- From the desk of Dawn Scholar

[beautifulpersonpeach]

im curious of one thing with enhypen. i heard their dynamic is not good but you said you like them, but i thought why you like bts is their group chemistry? is enhypen group chemistry bad?

***

Sigh, I'm doing quick asks so I'll try to keep this brief, though I really want to use this opportunity to dig into why k-pop stans gross me out. A lot of them really don't see these idols as real people.

The long-short of it is practically all those narratives about their dynamic are untrue. Wild, isn't it?

To address a few of the common talking points, somethings to remember:

They are a group of seven guys formed into a team from a survivor show... so what if their dynamics, similar to other groups formed on survivor shows (eg Twice and Stray Kids around the same group age), are sometimes awkward. BTS have awkward moments till now, it's human, lol, the older a group gets the more their relationships mature. And ENHYPEN is doing more than fine.

Also consider, in total the group members trained an average of 2 years at BigHit, including their time spent on I-Land, compared to groups like TXT where some members trained at BigHit for 3 - 5 years and so had more time to build stronger/deeper relationships. Even then, the guys are forming verifiably deeper connections. It shows in their work.

And because I feel it's right to mention it, I'll add it's also very possible at least one of the members is queer. The member IMO, Sunoo, is also the member that appears least keen to do (uninitiated) skinship, for whatever reason, but I don't get the sense that's out some connection to his sexuality. I think it's because he's just the guy who likes his autonomy and space. He's incredibly sassy, witty, and certainly nobody's pushover.

He reminds me a lot about Jimin in some ways, who maybe surprisingly, used to have the same narratives around his interactions with the members, narratives we all know now to be mostly exaggerated.

Jimin too, perhaps unsurprisingly, is generally viewed to be the most 'feminine' member in his team, a perception people also have about Sunoo, and it's not news that k-pop stans implicitly project their notions of feminine being 'softer', 'weaker', 'more prone to being taken advantage of', etc. on the idols they over-invest into.

It's basic ass projection and victimizing lol, all for a group of guys who have stayed at each other's family's homes, including Sunoo, spent holidays with them, they've all spoken candidly about their relationships with each other, very positively; their unusual leadership structure with the second youngest member being the leader, adds a different layer to their dynamics in ways that only show how solid of a team this is.

My only concern about their dynamics, is that they're young. Young people can make very silly mistakes. The older and more consistent they become, the better lol.

*

I really want to get into what grosses me out about this narrative k-pop stans created for Enha, but I've already rambled. I'll just say, Enhypen got the HYBE special... the same things I've described before, of how k-pop stans predictably reacted to NewJeans, Le Sserafim, and Enhypen.