#gatekeep but don’t block wtf

[aizenat]

Gen z, I need yall to make Billie Ellish and Olivia Rodrigo your new white pop girlies and get them bigger than these millennials who need to retire.

Yes I’m being ageist against my fellow millennials. Anyone with a career spanning over a decade who is 35 or older needs to retire at this point. Hang it up. Be mentors for the younger kids to keep them good but it’s time for these geriatrics fucking quit thank you.

[neuvillettes]

lmfao stay pressed ig

[lavrecaps]

XO, KITTY episode recap - S1: E2 "WTF"

Welcome to my stream of consciousness while watching "WTF". I’m starting with episode 2 because I just put episode 1 on out of curiosity and didn’t expect to continue the show, but I might go back and recap it later.

Big spoilers for season 1 episode 2 below. Please don’t spoil future episodes for me in the replies, reblogs or tags 😊

Not the MISUNDERSTANDINGS!

I was excited to hear and Australian accent from that professor (I am Australian).

Dae PLEASE EXPLAIN!!!!!

Yuri is an underhanded lesbian [affectionate]. Aaaand of course Yuri does the rom-com slip-‘n’-fall at the party lmao.

I’m gonna be obsessed with Yuri, I can tell. Icon. And she has a hot mum.

Being mean to Dae would feel like kicking a puppy, he does such heartbreaking sad eyes lmao. But I don’t blame Kitty, considering whats happening.

Dae, stop saying ‘I can explain’ and EXPLAIN!!!!

‘Dae’s crazed ex pen pal broke into our dorm to murder us’ hahahah.

Dae please EXPLAIN, this trope is so frustrating. ‘Accidentally assigned to the boy’s dorm’ is an unique trope though so I’ll add points for that lol.

Omg don’t gatekeep the dead mum necklace, Dae.

Dae has been blocked by Kitty. If only he’d had a full 24 hours+ just to spit it out and explain …

I love you Yuri but employee abuse isn’t funny.

HAHAHAH that’s sweet but I lost it when Dae was outside her door asleep on the floor.

Okay kitty in the leather pants, slay. Awww she sees her mum’s tree.

Dae is an expert at not being able to explain to Kitty, I can see why he’s so good in school. He excels in all he does.

Yuri you posted a MEME??????????? Haha. Ooh, her mama is scheming.

Hahahaha Dae running out into the garden in his pjs. OMG DON’T ANSWER YOUR PHONE DAE JUST EXPLAIN JUST EXPLAINNNNNN.

Yuri’s pink shirt! I know there’s scandal but her shirt steals the show. “The press conference” feels like fanficcy, I love it.

You know they cast Dae coz he can serve a heartbroken look like no other

Dae had no media training prior to his press conference  …. ‘“Lettuce” move on’; he killed it haha

YES IT’S FAKE IF ONLY SOMEONE EXPLAINED

The end.

Show-stealer:

My thoughts:

3.5/5

I enjoyed it! I had to suspend my belief over Dae being unable to explain and just clear it all up quickly, so it lost some points for that. But I LOVE all the characters.

Kitty is so cute, Yuri is a queen (I 1000% see where she’s coming from, she could be nicer to Dae about it but I get she’s under immense stress), Dae is my sad puppy boy, Min Ho is an icon and so is Yuri’s mum.

Lettuce not forget the employee mistreatment though lmao. Or maybe there's more to that story.

I like the fake dating trope being more of a lavender marriage type situation, that’s different and fresh. I’m curious about the connection between Yuri’s mum and Kitty’s mum. I’m hoping they were forbidden lovers but I’m probably wrong.

YURI – I am so excited for a more overt queer storyline, I’m sure it will come.

[strawberryraviegutz]

Hot take coming in here but you’re aloud to be uncomfortable with seeing sun/moon being sexualized WITHOUT shaming or bullying people who are attracted to/horny for him. Do I think people should tag their particularly nsfw posts correctly? Yes. Do I want minors to not see nsfw content nor have access to it? Yes. But we unfortunately can’t control what a minor accidentally comes across or if they lie about their ages. That’s something out of the creator’s control even when they are aiming said content towards only adults in the fandom. Also… you do realize that there’s an option called the block and or mute button. If you don’t wanna see that stuff then block or mute the people creating it. Don’t making fucking “rant” posts saying or making it seem like that there is something wrong with them when there isn’t or say shit like “Lmao why are people attracted to him hes literally a stick”(that’s kinda weird since if you wanna get technical then you’re implying really skinny people are not attractive. As a very skinny and petite person I find that really weird to say)or “If you’re attracted or thirst over sun and moon then you should probably leave the fandom” “EWW PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY ATTRACTED TO THAT THING LMAO YOU GUYS REALLY HAVE NO SHAME GET OFF THE INTERNET” “You guys are so disturbing. If you’re simping or sexualizing sun and moon then you need professional help” “If you sexualize or are attracted to sun/moon kindly leave the fandom please. We don’t want you here Lmao“. And people are bringing up the whole “lol tumblr sexyman went from spamton to the daycare attendant real quick lol” and I’m getting tired of it. It’s getting old real fast. Yes characters that “classify“ as “tumblr sexy men” exist. Yes people are attracted to them. It ain’t harming anyone. Get over it. I have also seen people straight up gatekeep the daycare attendant(wtf). I’ve seen this type of anti oc x canon, or the puritanical ”nsfw should be banned off of the internet“(only exception is if it’s nsfw of minors, siblings, or pedophilia, ect.) rhetoric and used to justify harassment and stigmatization against so many innocent people who have done nothing wrong other than simply making content with their favorite characters and I’m not having it. They aren’t making that shit for you anyways. They’re doing it because it makes themselves happy and for people who share similar interests. If some of you guys are gonna freak out over people being attracted to a fictional character that is pixels on a screen (despite making sure to tag their stuff properly and directing nsfw/horny content and or posts about said character towards ADULTS) when there’s actually real issues in the world that are worthy of focusing, then maybe you’re the ones who need to leave the fandom or the internet, because fandoms or any type of community online or offline should never have a place for toxic people like you.

[ladymorghul]

Sorry for my mini rant (it’s what happens when I go on Twitter so feel free to ignore this)

The shipping in the HotD fandom can be so frustrating but literally out of all the ships I’ve seen so far the most antagonistic are alysmond shippers.

I don’t care one way or the other about the ship itself but I do ship Helaemond. I was on Twitter for maybe a minute and my entire timeline are alysmond shippers just making fun of Helaemond shippers and saying how it’ll never happen now that Alys is confirmed for season 2.

I just don’t understand why they can’t just enjoy a character they like being casted rather then attacking other fans who (from what I’ve seen) haven’t said anything about their ship.

yeah, exactly. most helaemonds i know mind their business because they got hate for even just existing and not doing anything, but this side of the fandom treats their ship preferences as gospel and try to gatekeep aemond from other people and say stuff like "you should only ship aemond with his wife". like wtf.... did they enter fandom 2 seconds ago or?? let people do whatever they want

the majority i've interacted with or seen are antagonistic for no reason. in fact the first alysm*nd tweet i ever saw was a anti helaemond tweet so i guess that did really set the tone for what i was gonna see and deal with

and also... like... the anons i've got. i don't think these people realize i'm a person. i'm not just the little alicent icon in your phone, i'm a person with feelings. and instead of blocking me (i tag all my anti posts correctly), they just send me anon hate. i don't even publish it all.

i always understood what olivia meant about this fandom, but i've especially felt it this week.

[pianostarinwonderland]

Being excited that twst is getting an anime vs having to deal with toxic newcomers

Okay, I’m going to take this opportunity to make a say about all this.

I get it. I get the fear and nervousness of having to see potentially new toxic people. I get the fear of seeing more misinformation about Twst and seeing old misinformation getting revived and spread around.

But why do we have to focus on that?

Why are we focusing on new toxic fans to deal with instead of new friends to talk to? Why are we focusing on the dreadful ideas of people being horrible instead of the exciting ideas of what the anime could possibly have? Why are we focusing on the negative instead of the positive?

Listen. There are two things in this world that exist: the acts of ignoring and blocking. You see someone being shitty? Well damn, either you look away or if they’re being a particular bother to you, block them. If they’re a mutual, then unfollow first. You see Twitter or Tumblr festering with people going, “Wtf is this horny Twisted Wonderland game, how dare Disney do this to our beloved villains???” or something? Stop scrolling, close the app, and keep your interactions with your trusted circle of friends.

Now, if someone is spreading misinformation about the game, then by all means, correct them and educate them! But do it nicely because many of these folks genuinely don’t know that Twst is not an otome or that the characters aren’t exactly the same as their respective villains, only inspired by them. Besides, I’m sure that many of you have been exposed to the whole “Twst is an otome” thing before actually finding out that no, it is not.

“But they’re saying the wrong things about my favorite game! Let me at them!!”

No. You can correct them without being mean.

Don’t be rude.

Don’t be harsh.

Don’t be hostile.

On the topic of hostility, I wish to bring up one thing: stop gatekeeping. Twisted Wonderland is public property. Whether you like it or not, it is out in the public, and thus, people will discover it and get into it. “But I don’t want their dirty hands touching my Malleus!” I hate to break it to you, but Twisted Wonderland is not yours. It belongs to Disney. Malleus is not yours. Neither are Leona or Azul or Jade or Floyd or any of them. He’s yours in your dreams, but in reality, none of the characters belong to anyone but Disney and Yana since they created them.

And if you’re going to be gatekeeping new fans because you don’t want to invite more potential toxicity, I want you to consider one more thing: yourself. Sure, there are people who are wacko in the head, but there are also people who haven’t done anything wrong or made genuine mistakes in their excitement as they were looking up the game. Possibly, there are more nice people than weirdos. Who is really being the toxic one, the person who’s just excited about this Disney game, or the person who’s being hostile towards potentially new fans?

There is a reason why people call the Twst fandom toxic.

So all-in-all, more fans may mean more toxicity, but that doesn’t mean we should focus on that. We can look away, we can block, and if there is misinformation going around, then we can educate and correct nicely. All that time spent on complaining about misinformation can be time spent on explaining what Twisted Wonderland is. All that time spent on complaining about toxic fans can be time spent on conversing with your friends. All that time spent on thinking about the dreadful possibilities of new fans making it worse can be time spent on thinking about the exciting possibilities the Twst anime can fulfill.

[tinymaru-archived]

The fact you are so anal about blocking anyone not listing their age is so fucking annoying lmao. I seriously do not understand people doing this. Wtf is the point? Minors will see/read whatever the fuck they want. They can very easily lie about their age. You're not doing them a favour by gatekeeping, youre just being s goddamn nuisance.

The point is that it’s my boundaries??? Seriously what the fuck is wrong with you??

Me not wanting literal CHILDREN to lurk on MY blog and look at MY art is annoying okay wow. If they lie about their age that’s one thing but in that case it’s them who is at fault and not me. I just want to curate my own space and would not want be on the brink of doing something illegal by letting minors see things they shouldn’t. And for me it’s not even about protecting minors or doing them any favor, I seriously don’t care about them, but it’s about me wanting to feel safe on my own blog. And if you don’t understand that I just feel very sorry for you.

I’m gatekeeping my own content are you kidding me that’s the funniest shit. The fucking audacity you have to come here and tell me my boundaries that I set for myself are annoying. Get fucked lol <3

[kitkatgarden]

hey fuckheads, guess what??? i can question my sexuality as much as i want. i’m still figuring myself out. fuck off

wait i might be lesbian.

[kirschface]

A rant

Hi! I’ve never posted anything about NBC’s Hannibal but I figured in honor of the trailer for Clarice coming out, and the god awful comments coming with it, I decided to speak up on how much I hate the toxicity. Also, no, I don’t have screenshots. I usually don’t think to get them in these situations.

A. Hating the new show purely because you want season 4

I like Hannibal just as much as the next fannibal, but guys. Clarice JUST RELEASED the trailer. CBS isn’t connected to NBC, complaining that it’s not Hannibal won’t get you a season 4. They aren’t even directed by the same person.

B. Hating on/bullying people for kinning Clarice

Jesus Fucking Christ, where do I start. I’ve joined multiple Hannibal servers lately so I can make more friends in the fandom. I’ve left all but one because I was harassed for kinning Clarice Starling, mainly by Will kins. Seeing as she’s one of my highest kins, I can’t hide the fact I kin her just to be accepted by a fandom. 

C. Ship wars up the wazoo

Yeah, this is probably the worst case of hypocrisy I’ve ever seen in a fandom. First off, I’m gonna state that I ship Clannibal. You can hate me all you want, but it’s one of my biggest comfort ships. You also literally can’t deny canon just because you think a ship is more pure. Read the books, they literally get married. I used to ship Hannigram and Clannibal at the same time, so I don’t see why the two ships can’t coexist in peace, they’re both the same level of bad. I know why both are bad, it’s an argument for another day. (Also, can someone DM me and explain wtf ‘rainbow meat’ is? I saw some stuff on insta about the discourse, but I don’t interact with Twitter)

D. Gatekeeping

I know the fandom is mainly LGBT guys, but it doesn’t mean that straight people (specifically straight women) can’t enjoy it. I have a few friends who got harassed over shipping Hannigram and watching the show, despite not in the slightest being what y’all call fujoshis. 

And before you try to pin any of my hot takes as me being homophobic: 

I’m a non-binary, bisexual, sappho-romantic person. LGBT people can enjoy straight ships too, chill out with labeling people (especially women) as homophobic or straight because of it.

ANYWAYS, please don’t argue in the comments, tags, etc. I’m okay with CIVIL debate over this. I don’t block people, so go ahead and block me if you don’t agree.

[beizhuo]

alright folks , i made this post last night about amending my carrd rules . & now , after calming somewhat down from getting sick to my stomach about it , i must now make one final update post about this to make people really & fully understand where i stand . why ? because i am , once again , having / needing to finely comb through the people i want to follow & interact with due to some very , VERY toxic behavior & terrible , childish individuals that think its real cute to stalk , harrass , steal , & gatekeep folks . 

understand that i will NOT be namedropping anybody in this post . this is not my intention . i am not out here to isolate folks or make people ‘ chose sides ’ . making people do that is absolutely horrible ! i do not give a damn who other people interact with . i do , however have extreme issues with theft ( amongst other things ) . i can draw a god damn line at theft ! 

harassment ? don’t care . you’re trolling , i can ignore you . gatekeeping . you’e petty and attention seeking im here for friends anyway . but actual literal theft - i can draw a line there . please get out & OFF MY BLOG if you are so unoriginal that you haveta steal from me or my friends !

please know that you can interact with those thieves & gatekeepers , i don’t care ! but understand that i will most likely softblock you because i genuinely do not want them to find me . no hard feelings . ( they have found my other 2 blogs , and i am tired of them finding me ! especially for baizhu ! i don’t even follow some of my friends here cause of this ! ) i am not even in the genshin community to begin with . my group ? we don’t do communities for toxic behavior and people being so exclusive to the point of driving people out & away . its distasteful and mean ! do you know that i have some friends that were cut off from communities entirely all because they were a dupe ? tHAT is the kind of dupe drama i fucking hate . along with theft . anyway . i will start from the beginning of my rules that i deem important .

DUPLICATES . ( AND MIMICRY / THEFT )

the irony that this is the first point . it is like it was a wonderful transition . anyway . this is actually having to deal with two rule points . and i want to group them together cause they are related .

myself & a few other people have come to find out that .... there is somebody AT THE VERY LEAST taking inspo from us . i will start with dupes .

my friend has a character and was WHOLLY mistaken for another mun . which is fine . that happens , but things took a turn for the worse when they were then shunned / cut off because they werent ‘ good enough ’ . do you know how HORRIBLE that is ? to be told that you aren’t good because you weren’t the mun that they wanted ? this is the type of shit i cannot stand with dupe drama . DO NOT EVER COMPARE DUPES WITH ONE ANOTHER !!! i mean it . 

i follow different childes ! and you know what i adore them both . they are both amazing ! 

sure i may have my mains / exclusives ( and im not inclined to interact with other blogs of that same character ) but i still like portrayals . i do , in fact , just READ threads sometimes . i don’t necessarily follow for interactions . like ffs man . i like variety . jesus christ .

going to mimicry / theft . you know ... i have fucking seen this with a couple of friends . there is a difference between coincidental similarities , however ! for myself & for my friends , we have SEEN inspo taken from us . im gonna say this really loud for people .

MIMICRY IS NOT FUCKING FLATTERY . 

do not take inspo from me . especially without credit . absolutely do NOT do it . you are very unoriginal for doing that shit . 

now , you like something i make / made ? you are inspired to want to make something ? fine , that’s okay , you can ALSO fucking ask me , you can also credit me . as you fucking should ! you can notify me and go , damn , i really like your style , do you mind if i use it in xyz ? sure , go right ahead . do it . im begging you , go ahead and do it IF YOU FUCKING ASK ME . god im so fucking angry about this , but this is some vile shit . and im angry .

i am angry and terrified cause i literally cannot get away from these people cause they seem to be wherever i go . i DO NOT DO COMMUNITIES BECAUSE OF THIS .

as a good friend said : it’s like they are a virus that you cannot get rid of .

thats what happens with attention seekers unfortunately , but for the sake of my safety & health , i will not have it on my blog or dash . if i see these people on my dash often , i will unfollow .

and it isn’t like a specific person , its a GROUP of people . which leads me to my next point .

DRAMA / CALLOUTS.

imagine having beef with an individual , and then going around and gatekeeping that individual and getting people to unfollow / block them . im not talking about , ‘ hey this person is vile because they ship incest ’ . i am talking about ‘ i had a disagreement with this person & they hurt my feelings >:/ they are mean and will hurt you . etc etc etc . ’ 

i do not give a flying fuck about somebodies issues with another person . so you guys don’t get along . not my problem . i have people that hate me . i have friends where i hate their friends . shit happens . i am probably absolute scum to some people lol . i get mistaken for other people sometimes . it’s fine , hate me cause you think im that person . that person is snowflake repellent anyway , go choke on your kool aide that you are drinking ig . 

okay sorry i am angry but still . people claim and cry about wanting to talk & communicate . but then . guess what . sometimes shitty people are like , so this person said this to me , and they are mean . IF YOU ARE THE PERSON THAT GOES ‘ OH MY GOD HOW DARE THEY ’ AND BLOCK THEM THEN YOU ARE THE PROBLEM . i will give an example . of using my two names that i have .

somebody goes to amphy and says ‘omg ghost said this , and im frustrated and angry with them cause what he said was uncalled for . ’ if amphy goes ‘ omg ghost is shitty ’ and then unfollows / blocks them without any other discussion , then thats an issue cause ghost has no idea wtf happen . amphy got involved in YOUR relationship with ghost even though ghost has been nothing but kind and sweet to you . you also don’t know if amphy is just victimising or being emotional either . so why they fuck would you believe somebody who is venting to you about it and then block somebody who did literally NOTHING to you .

i dont know if i explained that correctly but i will give you something more realistic , again without namedropping .

i have a few friends that hate one another . i’ve known all of them for years . but they all , i kid you not , they ALL fucking hate each other . there’s three of them . and they cannot stand each other . i just happen to be somebody who gets along with all of them . you bet your ass that at one point , they all came to talk mad shit about the others . what did i do ? i went , oh okay . well im sorry that you have issues with them . sounds like a bad experience , but i can’t do anything about that cause i am not you and i am not them . if you are gonna change my mind , it isn’t gonna happen , sorry !

i have had people shit talk people i have no idea who they are , and i just sit here just being a source for them to vent , but i never NEVER EVER act on anything i hear . why ? cause its petty drama and gossip . if you do that , then damn , sorry kiddo , get some help on that alright ? maybe be nicer . i dunno .

now . racism ? pedophilia ? incest ? HARMFUL SHIT ? that’s different . but again , theres a lot of miscommunication . i have people coming and pulling the cards like they are hot shit  and that isn’t fucking cute . THAT ISN’T CUTE GUYS . you are the problem if you try to victimize yourself cause of something YOU misinterpreted .

i have a friend that has this on their blog .

i am literally going off on a god damn tangent . anyway . :) 

fuck you if drink kool aide .

THERE ARE OTHER MENTAL DISORDERS! YOU ARE ABLEIST IS YOU ERASE THE OTHER (UN)COMMON ONES.

i know that autism is the ‘common’ one here . you are valid okay . but guess what . ADHD , BPD, DiD, and straight up depression and anxiety are also things as well ! there are MANY folks here that are also undiagnosed as well OR they lay on some sort of spectrum as well . I am once again not going to disclose my own things here cause again THAT IS PRIVATE INFO , but fuck you if you refuse to see other disabilities .

also there are physical disabilities as well btw .

if you are not understanding of any other disability , or you wanna mute / deafen other mental disorders , YOU ARE THE FUCKING PROBLEM .

end of story . 

treat other people how you want them to treat you and don’t you dare ever shove your baggage at them . thanks . 

please be more understanding that some people are not okay:tm: . 

i implore you to get help if you need help , but sometimes some people dont have to take your shit . and they most certainly do not need to sit and take your issues if they are not okay either . its toxic and very unhealthy behavior to expect others to help you . they can help you as best as they can , but you need to understand that everybody has their moments . do not guilttrip them . do not gaslight them . 

but also understand that sometimes , people are saying things cause they genuinely need help ! you can be there for them but as a friend , you need to also tell them your own boundaries as well and tell them that they need to seek professional help .

but also , if somebody refuses to get help , then that is on them . not on you . 

anyway another tangent , but back to the point . autism , while you need to understand is something you need to see and understand , is not the only mental disorder ! and you need to understand that some people suffer from really REALLY shitty things and are sometimes undiagnosed . i am really REALLY tired of depression , ADHD , BPD, and DiD getting brushed under the rug like they are not important . cause guess what , there are spectrums ! all mental health is important . fuck you if you disregard the other disorders , you are being ableist .

STOP HATE READING PEOPLE.

im really sick and tired of this . you don’t like something somebody said ? you can either : ask what they meant or block / unfollow them . 

DO NOT FUCKING STALK THEM EITHER . 

you have an obsession if you hover on their blog too .. do not do that . that is SO unhealthy for you . here is what a friend said on twitter . ( not name dropping them , just copy pasting them )

❛ i stg people need to fine a better hobby than to hate read a persons blog or profile. not a good look on you when you go and read what they post about just to get angry at something you think they said and then you go off spewing lies about it cause 'youre offended.'  

like you already hate them in the first place. you weren’t 'looking to see if they were a better person.' youre just looking to find another thing to hate about them. 

that is what hate reading is about. so you can read their posts and find just another reason to hate and laugh at how bad you think they are.

but it doesnt make you a better person. it just makes you a sad person with no life. stop hate reading people. grow tf up. go breathe on some plants or something idk.

i say this very loud and clear . if you hate read me , i live in your head rent free . not my problem . but it does become my problem if you begin to steal shit and start spewing lies about myself or my friends . grow up and move on with your life . sorry my life seems more interesting than you ig . idk .

anway this got long , and at this point i am going off on a tangent but !!!!

TL ; DR

read my rules ig . idk .

you can dm me for more info if you want . at this point i have blocked the problem blogs for myself. if you are curious you can ask . HOWEVER. i am not going to tell you to block or unfollow . why ? cause at the end of the day , it is MY beef . this are my issues . i am NOT here to gatekeep .

i will say that i will tell you IN private the for MY story . but keep in mind that it is MY story . not yours . not theirs . it is all about perception .

my perception is that they are scummy gatekeeping thieves . they gatekeep the people they dont like or are intimidated by . i am somebody who fucking bites and calls people out on their shit , because of this ? i make enemies . but my enemies are not yours . i dont care .  dont give a damn . i am intimidating to people who are cowards and i don’t care . 

if they feel bad when i call them out , if they try to go around and do damage control , then that means they are guilty .

and then you can ask yourself this : why are they reacting like that ?

i am once again going to bring up that other twitter user that i quoted before .

❛  you dont like hearing that because someone is holding a mirror up to you and it makes you uncomfortable because you know you . and you know the parts of you that are good . so in your heart you have to come up with a narrative that makes you feel better about the fact that somebody is asking your to confront the parts about yourself that you hate the most .

anyway . this got long . im so sorry for the long read . im so sorry i sounded hostile ad angry . im just volatile sometimes . im just really tired . and i dont need to come on this blog and have a panic attack . 

anyway . cheers loves ! stay happy , stay healthy . drink your fluids . take your meds !

[queenmorgawse]

loving you is my gift tonight

missgoneril : there’s so much going on in that pic i don’t even know where to start fearthedeer : you gotta be more specific. is it dima? his parents in a two-person sweater?? the piglet in a fluffy hat they put on the armchair??? missgoneril : i missgoneril : the holy kingdom of faerghus has actually been on crack this whole time, in this essay i will -

or, some good old-fashioned holidays fluff ft. dimiclaude in modern fodlan.

READ ON AO3.

The envelope arrives a week or so before Saint Cichol’s Day. It’s made of creamy, off-white paper and sealed with an actual wax seal bearing the griffin knight of Faerghus, because royals apparently have to be extra even with something as mundane as sending holiday cards.

It’s actually addressed to Claude’s mother ( President Juliette von Riegan, the envelope reads in elegant, swirling script), but as First Son of the Leicester Alliance, Claude considers himself plenty qualified to snatch it up from the pile of holidays-related mail and whisk it off to his room.

He flops down onto his bed before breaking open the seal. The card inside is just as fancy as the exterior, done up in dark blue and silver highlights, and it’s the funniest thing Claude’s seen all week.

Now, the Faerghan royal family has been sending Saint Cichol’s cards to the von Riegans since the beginning of his mother’s presidency, so this is nothing out of the ordinary. It also doesn’t say anything special, besides Merry Saint Cichol’s day & best wishes from House Blaiddyd in embossed letters.

What is new, however, is that this time, it doesn’t have  one of the Blaiddyds’ formal state portraits front and center. Sure enough, King Lambert and Queen Patricia are posing, flashing toothpaste-ad-worthy smiles at the camera, but there the resemblance comes to a brutal stop.

The photo features Dimitri, clad in possibly the gaudiest holiday sweater Claude’s ever seen. As per ugly sweater tradition, it sports an unholy amount of red and green, but nothing can dethrone the roaring lion’s head emblazoned over Dimitri’s torso, myriads of multicolored lights haphazardly sewn into its mane.

And he still manages to look like Prince Charming straight out of a collector’s edition of Fódlan’s Fables, because Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd is unfairly photogenic like that.

Seiros, life is unfair. Or maybe it isn't, because it’s given him a boyfriend who miraculously still looks good while looking like he’s been hit and run over by a garlands-filled truck.

Because he’s the most loyal best friend anyone could ask for, Claude sits up, holds the card to the lamp on his bedside table, snaps a picture and sends it to Hilda. Her reply is almost instantaneous.

missgoneril : there’s so much going on in that pic i don’t even know where to start

fearthedeer : you gotta be more specific. is it dima? his parents in a two-person sweater?? the piglet in a fluffy hat they put on the armchair???

missgoneril : i

missgoneril : the holy kingdom of faerghus has actually been on crack this whole time, in this essay i will -

fearthedeer : LMAO

fearthedeer : fr tho i think it’s sweet

missgoneril : you have them rose-tinted glasses ON i see

fearthedeer : bold words coming from miss hilda ‘do you think dimitri’s hot blonde bodyguard will text me back?’ goneril

You can no longer send direct messages to this person.

Claude snorts and taps out of the conversation. Not a week goes by that Hilda doesn’t block him at least once. Whatever the reason - from posting their kindergarten playdates pictures on the Golden Deer group chat to that time he jokingly hit on her brother -, she always ends up unblocking him within the hour.

In the meantime, there’s someone else he wants to talk to. Claude flips to the second topmost conversation on his phone, lays back and starts typing.

fearthedeer : on ur way to light up all of fhirdiad by urself i see

hrhdima : I take it you’ve received our holidays well-wishes.

fearthedeer : it’s the BEST how did you not tell me about this before

hrhdima : Mother and Father wanted a ‘fun’ photo to go with our usual ones. I didn’t know they would actually use it for anything official.

fearthedeer : give whoever made that decision a raise bc they just made my entire week

hrhdima : You don’t think it’s silly?

fearthedeer : well.

fearthedeer : yes i do

fearthedeer : it’s definitely dorky

fearthedeer : but since it has you in it it’s dorky cute

fearthedeer : why are u not saying anything

fearthedeer : i told u u gotta learn to accept a compliment!!

hrhdima : Thank you, my dear. I had to take a few moments to compose myself.

fearthedeer : SEIROS

fearthedeer : HOW ARE YOU SO FUCKING ADORABLE 😭

hrhdima : 😳😳

fearthedeer : if i were here you BET i’d be kissing your cheeks

fearthedeer : but alas, the day’s just started for ur local first son

hrhdima : What’s the first thing on the list?

fearthedeer : visiting a kids’ hospital i’m pretty sure! hilda and i have some Clownery planned so i sure hope they’ll laugh

hrhdima : I’m sure they will. If you end up filming, I’d love to see it.

fearthedeer : eager to see me embarrass myself huh

hrhdima : Claude! Of course not!

fearthedeer : flames, i was kidding!! of course i’ll send u the vid!

hrhdima : Oh.

hrhdima : Good luck with...the clownery?

fearthedeer : thanks, good luck with what you have to do too <3

hrhdima : Thank you. Speaking of which, can I call you later? Ingrid’s banging down my door about the holidays address right now.

fearthedeer : sure!! have fun at rehearsal, romance that sweet sweet mic for me 😘😘

hrhdima : Claude, please.

fearthedeer : u love me

hrhdima : I do.

hrhdima : I wish we could see each other more, especially at this time of the year. I miss you a great deal.

fearthedeer : wtf you can’t just say stuff like that

hrhdima : We’re quite literally dating.

fearthedeer : STILL

fearthedeer : anyway don’t you worry your pretty royal head over it

fearthedeer : it’s time for a secret scheme >:)

hrhdima : Claude. What does this mean.

fearthedeer : ;)

hrhdima has sent a vocal message.

Hi Claude, this is Ingrid. Sorry for interrupting you guys, but Dimitri has an address to practice, so I had to take his phone away for the time being. Will give it back when he’s done. Say hello to Hilda for me!

fearthedeer : dedue wouldn’t do this to me

---

missgoneril : SWEET BABY SEIROS SHE SAID WHAT

---

“...And with that, my dear citizens, all that's left for me to do is wish you a Merry Saint Cichol's day. Hold your loved ones close, so that they might share the holidays' cheers with you. I know I will.”

Dimitri flashes the camera another bright smile before the operator signals to him that they're done filming. From the treshold, Sylvain gives him a thumbs-up, and Dedue an approving nod. Only then does Dimitri allow himself to relax, shoulders slumping ever so slightly.

It isn't the address that bothers him, nor the ever-present fear of slipping up in front of millions of Faerghus citizens on live television. He's been groomed in protocol for public appearances, virtual or not, since he was old enough to walk. No, it's the creeping realization that, year after year, he gives a little more time to the people, and keeps a little less to himself.

It's selfish, which is precisely why Dimitri's only vaguely mentioned it even to his closest friends. They'd whisk him off to some holiday destination at the speed of light if he asked, he knows, but it doesn't feel right to shirk his duties — even though Sylvain wouldn't call it shirking, only giving himself a well-deserved break.

After a few minutes of idle chatter with the camera crew - Dimitri's made it a habit to try and get to know everyone he works with, to the point he can now ask after some of the operators' children by name -, he finally steps out of the royal office requisitioned for the occasion. When he idly checks his phone, the screen flashes with half a dozen notifications : a picture of Felix and Ingrid on St Cichol's shopping (presumably for Glenn), some last minute recommendations from both his father and Duke Fraldarius, and…

fearthedeer : hey hey hey

fearthedeer : dima

fearthedeer : u should go get some fresh air 😜

fearthedeer : (front gate. hurry!!!)

fearthedeer : i see u typing. why don’t u walk faster instead

Dimitri picks up the pace, until he’s almost flying past the castle’s front gates and into the main courtyard. At first, nothing seems more out of the ordinary : the gatekeepers even shoot him perplexed looks as their crown prince stares out, half disheveled, at the snow-covered cobblestones.

Then a nondescript black cab pulls up, somehow unbothered by security checks, and everything suddenly pieces itself together.

Dimitri’s down the staircase before anyone can stop him, right as the cab’s door open and a silhouette clad in a vibrant yellow sweater steps out. Claude’s barely finished handing the driver a tip when Dimitri comes to a brutal stop just a few steps from him, heart beating wildly against his ribcage.

They exchange pictures pretty much everyday, but there’s an inherent brilliance to Claude a screen can’t capture. It’s something, Dimitri thinks, in the way his smile blooms first over his lips then reaches all the way to his eyes. Every time, it’s like watching the sun rise.

Claude opens his arms. Wordlessly, Dimitri lets himself be drawn into his embrace, curls around him and breathes in the fresh scent of pine needles.

Eventually, he finds it in himself to step back. His hands stay firmly planted on Claude’s shoulders, grounding himself in the other’s presence. “It really is you.”

Claude grins and tips an imaginary hat at him. “The one and only.”

“Flames, I—” Dimitri takes a deep breath in an attempt to compose himself. “How...when did you get here?”

“On a plane this morning. And before you ask, it wasn't on taxpayers' money,” Claude quips.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted to see you, but why now?” Dimitri’s brain frantically cycles through their relationship milestones. Their anniversary’s in early summer, and Claude’s birthday isn’t for another few months, and⎯

Claude gently takes his face into his hands, tiptoeing a little to rest their foreheads together, and Dimitri’s mind comes to a standstill.

“Hey, calm down, okay? You’re overthinking everything again.” Claude pauses, breathes in, breathes out. “Would you believe me if I said I’m a little late for your birthday?”

Oh. It’s true. His birthday, a national holiday. How did it slip his mind again?

As if able to read his mind, Claude chuckles. “Really, I just wanted to see you again. In person. I already meant it to be a Saint Cichol’s surprise, and our texts the other day were just...additional motivation, if you will.”

“You’re amazing,” Dimitri says, as earnest as he’s ever been. This time, it’s Claude’s turn to blush, a rosy flush creeping up his neck and onto his cheeks. It offers a nice contrast to the paleness of the snowflakes that have started accumulating in his hair, dusting his dark curls with white.

It occurs to Dimitri that perhaps they should have had this conversation inside.

“Come,” he tells Claude, slinging an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders to steer him back towards the castle’s warmth. “You must be freezing.”

Claude snorts and tucks his chin down into the collar of his coat. “Only because your country considers negative temperature to be mild weather.”

“It’s only starting to get chilly, really⎯” Dimitri cuts himself off when Claude shoots him a half-exasperated, half-fond look.

Before he can fumble himself into another clumsy explanation, Claude tugs him down by the lapels of his jacket and presses a kiss to his lips. It courses through him like lightning, all the way down to the tips of his toes, and it lingers even after Claude pulls away.

“Well, you’re here to keep me warm, aren’t you? Lead the way.”

Like this, his love is bright and lovely, the great hall’s flickering hearth painting him in broad strokes of honey and gold.

Dimitri takes Claude’s hand, and follows.

[scribeofseshat]

Pride month reminders

Reminder that there is Nothing radical or feminist about gatekeeping trans people and medicalising trans experiences.

Reminder that there is Nothing gained by excluding aces and aros from Pride.

Reminder that there is No Such Thing as a “transtrender” (seriously wtf).

Reminder that autigender does Not mean that someone is claiming that their gender is autism - it describes the specific way in which autism can influence how one experiences their gender.

Reminder that Queer has been used by the community for longer than many people on this site have been alive and is some peoples actual identity and insisting that their identity is a slur is literally giving our word back to our oppressors. All our words have been slurs - we reclaim them and use them. Don’t. Give. Them. Back.

Reminder that being gay, lesbian, trans or any other identity does not mean that you can’t be racist and Racism is a huge problem in the community.

Reminder that being part of Pride does not mean that you can’t contribute to the oppression of other sexuality and gender identities, and transphobia is also a Huge problem in the community.

Reminder that a-spec doesn’t refer to “autism spectrum” and the claim that is does was started by Exclusionists and is not endorsed by the majority of autistics - we use “ASD”, “the spectrum”, and “autistic”.

Reminder that MOGAI identities and micro-labels are Valid and fine actually.

Reminder that the first Pride was a riot started by a trans woman of colour and our strength and achievements in fighting for our rights have been through Solidarity and working together, not petty and often ridiculous arguments about who is and isn’t allowed to participate.

Reminder that Pride needs to be Intersectional and Accessible - our community is comprised of people from all walks of life and backgrounds; our community includes POC, Jewish people, poor people, mentally ill people, disabled people, people who are currently being abused or have been abused in the past, sex workers - any Pride event that isn’t inclusive and accessible to Everyone in our community has failed to support our community in its entirety.

If you disagree with ANY of these, unfollow and block me right now

[andihowl]

Polyamory is queer.

Or rather, Polyamorous folk are queer if they self-identify as such.

Below, I’ll be explaining why any attempt you make to deny that is by definition gatekeeping, and why you need to stop. This will be added to / updated as I talk to more polyamorous folk and hear more of their stories. This is not a debate, I will liberally use my block button, I’m just sick of repeating myself over and over in group after group because polyphobic assholes think they can throw polyam folk under the bus and we won’t say anything. Read. Think. Do better.

Given the shared premises that “queer” is being used in it’s non-pejorative, reclamative usage as an umbrella term representing sexual and gender minorities who have been marginalized and oppressed as a direct result of their identities, and that gatekeeping members of it is an inherently shitty thing to do (goodbye swerfs, terfs, aphobes, etc.), the main reasons I see for people denying polyamorous folk into queer spaces, or into queer discussions generally read like this:

why are we even having this discussion, omg, wtf, gtfo

it’s only used by skeezy heterobros who are looking to get a second girlfriend

it’s only used by skeezy “bi” couples who are unicorn hunting

there are oppressive countries around the world who are practicing polygamy and that’s certainly not good

it’s a kink

it’s a choice

it’s a practice, not an identity

it’s a relationship dynamic, not a sexual orientation or gender identity

everyone wants to be polyam anyway, it’s not an oppressed class.

I'm personally polyamorous, and I don't see it as an identity

I'm uncomfortable with cis-het-allo folk claiming the term queer

These arguments can be categorized more or less into the following main sections:

The Disregard

why are we even having this discussion, omg, wtf, gtfo

By disengaging conversation about this, you are preventing the growth and learning of the community, and you need to knock your shit off. Only through critically assessing our own behavior and the behavior of the community with which we engage can we ever hope to make ourselves, and our world, any better.

The Bad Actors

it’s only used by skeezy heterobros who are looking to get a second girlfriend

or

it’s only used by skeezy “bi” couples who are unicorn hunting

This is one of the weakest arguments against this, and one of the quickest debunked. Simply put, all identities have bad actors. I've certainly interacted with gay men who haven't taken no for an answer. I've certainly met bisexual people who have used their sexuality as an excuse to cheat on their partners. Just because bad actors exist within a community, does not invalidate the entire identity. You cannot hope to have such a diverse group of people from such diverse backgrounds and upbringings and mental health statuses and economic statuses and expect them all to behave and think the the same homogenous way. Not all gays are alike. Not all trans folk are alike. Not all polyam folk are alike. Deal with it, move on.

Conflation

there are oppressive countries around the world who are practicing polygamy and that’s certainly not good

or

it’s a kink

Polyamory =/= polygamy. Stop conflating the two. Polyamory (when referring to the practice) is the egalitarian ethical practice of non-monogamy between consenting adults. Polygamy is an authoritarian tool used by patriarchal societies to oppress and silence women, most often without consent. Stop conflating, and move on.

Also, Polyamory is not a kink. To call something a kink, you are tacitly and wilfully admitting that the behavior in question is and should be seen as deviant in society, and derives sexual pleasure out of that deviancy. Polyamory is not, at least not in any healthy relationships I've seen, practiced in such a shameful manner. If you're equating the two, maybe you should address your own underlying phobias regarding polyamory rather than gatekeeping others.

The Choice

it’s a choice

or

it’s a practice, not an identity

or

it’s a relationship dynamic, not a sexual orientation or gender identity

These are a bit trickier of a discussion. No, the United States, nor any other country offcially recognizes polyamory as a valid sexual orientation to be protected under federal law. And yes, some people feel they opt-in to a "polyamorous lifestyle". There have been studies conducted on this, and while many respondents to do not classify their polyamory as an orientation, many others did respond saying that they felt they were wired that way, that they felt they were that way since childhood, that monogamous relationships always felt wrong for them.

The polyamory community houses both types of folk, those who feel it's a lifestyle, as well as those who feel it is deeply engrained. As polyadvice writes (specifically toward other polyam folk):

Is polyamory an orientation? Why do we care? Why are we so caught up in whether the way we love other people is a way of being or a way of doing? Why do I get this question so often, and why are we all so invested in the answer?

  If you experience your polyamory as an innate part of your self, as something you are rather than something you do, great. It’s part of your orientation. We can split semantic hairs and say it’s a “relationship orientation” as opposed to a “sexual orientation.” Some people don’t experience it that way, and that’s fine too.

  What’s not fine is if we start fighting about it and make it some big political or identity-political issue within the [polyam] community. Because you know what? The rest of the world doesn’t care nearly as much about the nuances of our definitions. They’re prepared to deny us health insurance, child custody, media representation, hospital visitation, and plenty else regardless of whether we sort this out amongst ourselves. If we start turning on each other, there’s no one to have our backs.

Simply put, it's none of your damn business if it's an orientation or a choice. Even if it is a choice, as Michael Carey with Slate wrote:

We are all human first. Everything else—nationality, sex, race, orientation—is secondary, and irrelevant to our fundamental rights. As Brian D. Earp recently argued in “Future Tense,” even if homosexuality becomes a choice, mutable under pharmacological “treatment,” it should still be regarded as part of the normal range of human behavior. We should agree on the principle that anyone pursuing consensual, loving, respectful relationships, forming happy families, and participating productively in society should be welcomed, not ostracized in the name of irrational, ossified stigma.

Not Oppressed

everyone wants to be polyam anyway, it’s not an oppressed class.

Hooooooooold up there partner. Y'all gotta be kidding me. Let's put aside the fact that one of the most common thing's polyam folk hear when they come out to people is "well, that's nice, but I could never do it myself". Let''s put aside the comments/sneers of "so you just sleep with whoever you want?", or the automatic assumption that polyam folk are sluts/skeezes/sex-addicts/cheaters.

The fact of the matter is, for someone who is polyamorous, there are no legal protections for them, whether they be for housing, employment, or medical care (in any of the 50 United States or any other country that I'm aware of). That means if someone is outed at work, they can be fired on the spot for that reason. They can be kicked out of their apartment, lose their home, or be denied medical coverage because of it. Polyamorous relationships are not recognized as valid spouses in hospital situations, they cannot receive tax benefits for their relationship, and they are routinely denied next of kin rights and inheritance. Loss of child custody is common, as family courts do not recognize polyamory as a valid responsible child-rearing environment (which experience and common sense can tell us otherwise)

It's bad enough that Ann Sweeny argued in 2010 in favor of legally expanding the definition of sexual orientation to include polyamory to help protect polyam folk against these kind of grievances (you can download the original pdf argument at that link, it's a long but interesting read). An excerpt:

... polyamorists risk custody loss, workplace discrimination, loss of friends, alienation from their families, and ostracism from spiritual and other communities as a result of revealing their polyamory. In addition, their children often face discrimination at school. Indeed, in one study, nearly half of [polyam] respondents reported having experienced prejudice as a result of their polyamory. Additionally, Emens has noted that the “social hostility [against relationships involving more than two people] sustains various legal burdens on polyamorists, including two-person marriage and partnership laws, adultery and bigamy laws, [and] residential zoning laws.” Furthermore, Rambukkana documented negative reactions to the formation of an on-campus polyamory group that included the university newspaper’s public ridicule of the group on the basis that the group was comprised of “a bunch of ‘culty’ sex maniacs” and the suggestion that the group was a “recruitment machine” that sucked people in “‘with promises of sex and more sex.’”

She goes on to argue:

These forms of discrimination are considerable, and they have the potential to impose severe, indeed devastating, burdens on individuals who espouse polyamory... The many ways that monogamy (as represented by marriage) is privileged under the law, while non-monogamy is burdened, demonstrate that non-monogamous persons, including polyamorists, are oppressed under an “organising principle of inequality” and therefore that they meet Cooper’s test for extension of legal protections.

Honestly, go read that article. It lays out a lot more than I could ever hope to properly summarize here, and outlines pretty succinctly why polyamory is an oppressed class.

What goes for me goes for everyone

I'm personally polyamorous, and I don't see it as an identity

First off, wonderful! Thank you for being polyam and for demonstrating your courage and representation in a world that wants to erase you. Full stop.

Second off. It's fine if you don't feel like your polycraft is inherently part of your identity. That's allowed. Many Nonbinary folk don't feel trans describes their experience; many gay men don't like to use the term queer. That's fine, that's your biz. That doesn't mean that holds the same for everyone else, though, and you shouldn't be limiting the voice and power of others because you have enough privelege to disregard opression you may experience. They do deserve a voice, they do deserve rights, and you consistently chiming in saying "Well I don't" isn't helping the conversation, it's distracting and beside the point.

One person's experience with a community is not necessarily representative of an entire identity's experience with it, and you don't get to claim the right to silence the voices and experences of others in your community.

The Personal Appeal

I'm uncomfortable with cis-het-allo folk claiming the term queer

Well, I'm sorry you are uncomfortable. Honestly. It sucks. However dealing with an expanding and inclusive community is and should be uncomfortable. It should force us to ask questions we didn't want to ask. It should make us rethink things we once thought were firm and held dear.

But just as -allo was added to cis-het bring light to the added axis of identity and oppression that is the asexuality spectrum, it's about time we added -mono to that, to bring to light the fact that being polyam, and being polyam + other identities, brings with it unique problems and unique pride that is deserving of attention, and deserving a seat at the table.

Included Links and Additional Resources

CW: some of these links use the nickname "poly" for "polyamorous" rather than "polynesian". Inclusion here is not an endorsement of that kind of usage, as I have tried to refrain from that usage here and in my everyday conversation. Additionally, I have replaced its usage in the above quotations with [polyam] to prevent further crawlers linking to it.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-polyamorists-next-door/201610/is-polyamory-form-sexual-orientation

(http://polyadvice.tumblr.com/post/114048167048/this-might-be-a-question-you-get-often-but-is

https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/10/is-polyamory-a-choice.html

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1632653

https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/10/polyamorous-excluded-queer/

https://polyinthemedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/dan-savage-is-poly-queer.html

https://www.autostraddle.com/six-queers-on-polyamory-and-identity-419254/

[librarybunny13]

Oh I can tell you why. Poe was played as possibly being gay per the actor. I won’t try to force a gay guy to go straight. It does not help that he looks like my gay brother. So liking Poe would have been HUGELY weird.

As for Finn, I once posted something saying he was hot. Do you know what happened? I got death threats from people claiming to be black women claiming that I was being racists for thinking he was sexy because I was NOT black. All I can say to that is WTF. So I stopped posting about Finn. What else is funny? Now I’ll get more emails and death threats for NOT perfering him over Kylo Ren. 

Kylo Ren.....half the fandom hated him, but NO ONE sent me death threats. Instead I was ignored. Lovely. Great. I perfer bad guys anyhow if I think they can have a redemption arc. And in the end he kinda did have a redemption arc. And let’s not forget he got a better stroyline than Poe and Finn. I will never forgive Stars Wars for not doing better by their characters instead of just adding them in for what? So they could put them in a corner after the first movie? That sucked.

Don’t bother blasting me because I’ll now just block you. I STILL think FInn is handsome, but I will rarely post about him because I get shit for it. There are gatekeepers out there who are fuking weird about any other race being attracted to black men. SOmething about there aren’t enough good ones or something? Sounds like a shitty arguement for me. And as for Poe.....thank you. I’m sorry I don’t thirst after someone who looks like my brother. Just Ew.

I think what would be better said is how Star wars could have done better by ALL gthe characters instead of sitting there going off on what or who you were attracted to? What do you say to the asexuals? This is just one more way that we as cis women like to bully the LGBT community. So 1) let people like who they like, 2) when they like someone who is not of their skin color, maybe don’t gatekeep and claim only people who are X can like C actor because they are X. Yea, I probably shouldn’t have responded to this, but when there is so much more in a single fandom to be angry about, seeing who you think is sexy is just weird. It isn’t just Stars wars either.

I will honestly never forgive y’all for going crazy over kylo ren. like u literally had poe and finn and u chose kylo. that’s like saying u would fuck jar jar binks over anakin or obi. rip to ur taste in men but I am different

[onlinedatingadventures]

Today’s Bumble video date is the reason I’ve started this Tumblr.  

He was an incredibly judge-y asshole.  He’s a high school teacher and he insulted elementary school teachers, making a comment about whenever he sees someone puts that they’re a teacher in their profile, he asks what grade they teach “and they say third and I’m all ‘oh’. I can’t imagine teaching children that young...I mean, they must eventually lose some mental capabilities after talking at a 3rd grade level all day.” Then he tops it off with a snide comment about how elementary school teachers are all just liberal arts degrees who couldn’t get another job.   All the while I’m thinking WTF this asshole just insulted two of my friends.

He also talked about how he runs the anime club at the high school he teaches at.  Which...okay, I’m cool with this, I was in the anime club in college... until he says “80% of anime is trash, 20% can change your life. Kids will say ‘I watch anime’ and when I ask them what they watch, they say ‘Dragon Ball’ and I just (laughs)... I tell them ‘Okay, come to anime club. Watch some good anime.’” Like...DUDE. They’re children. Hell, even if they’re adults, let them just enjoy what they enjoy.  No need to be a pretentious, gatekeeping asshole. 

He also talked about how he makes more money as a high school teacher than college instructors or gradeschool and middle school teachers make and said he made $6K a month.  Which I knew to be a lie because I had looked him up earlier and knew exactly how much he made over the past three years.  (Government employees - their pay is public.)

And his profile was misleading. He said he “worked in medicine for 6 years before discovering his true passion was teaching.”  During our video call, it comes out that he worked in Logistics in a hospital for six years after high school before he went to college for an English degree.  Working in Logistics in a hospital is NOT working in Medicine.  If you say you work in Medicine, you better be a doctor.  Anyone who works in healthcare, we either say “I work in Healthcare” or we say “I work in (specialty)”.

Also in his profile was some comment along the lines of “If being on a dating app is the riskiest thing you’ve done, that doesn’t speak well for your life” which... after talking with him, it sounds like the riskiest thing he’s done was get piercings.

As soon as I managed to end the call, I immediately hopped into the friends group chat to share.  When I went back to the Bumble app to unmatch with the guy, I found he had already unmatched.     ¯\_(ツ)_/¯   I took the extra step of blocking him because I don’t want to chance another encounter with him.

I am a little sad, because I admit I stereotyped him.  He had a punk-rock vibe - multiple piercings, fauxhawk, tattoos, the clothes.  And I’m just so used to punks being awesome, I just assumed he would be, too.

[n333rdypirate]

why make this

check under!

why was this blog made? -> ok, so the story is that my friend and i saw nezha 2019 in theaters in glorious IMAX and came out of the showing changed people lol. we also were super curious about nezha's origins since we both knew that the movie had changed the origin story greatly. so we were led to the wikipedia page about the Fengshen Yanyi/the Investiture of the Gods, a piece of classic Chinese literature. since the english title is kinda long i usually just say fengshen yanyi or FSYY for convenience's sake. please keep this in mind bc im a lazy person and i dont want to type out the whole thing all the time thanks lol.

anyways so my friend and i were interested in learning more and maybe reading the FSYY ourselves. however. we got blocked/discouraged by the expensive paywall of academia.

there is only one complete english translation of the FSYY. that's right. this almost 4,000 year old book has only been translated into english once. four!! thousand!!! years!!!!

and according to amazon and other book sites, the 4 volume set sells for somewhere between $120 to $800. (also to clarify, this isn't the newer version that's translated/by katherine chew. that version is more reasonably priced at around $20 to $25 on book sites i've seen. however, going through the amazon reviews, it seems that this newer version is rather abridged and not translated well. or something like that. it also sounds like this person did like half the saga and then stopped??? idk, im not quite sure since i havent read this version personally, but you can read the reviews yourself if you want, just search for this version on amazon. but tl;dr, it sounds like katherine chew’s fsyy translation is incomplete and/or abridged very heavily.)

needless to say, my friend and i were feeling very confused and frustrated. we just wanted to read a classic and influential piece of chinese literature!

luckily, a college nearby ours had the complete book set. i borrowed it through a intra-college library program in our city and used my iphone to scan the entire thing.

i was cleaning up/formatting/using my phone’s scanner app’s OCR feature to get the chapters with generally no problem until i hit the roadblock of just running out of space on my free dropbox account lol.

anyways, to both free up space on dropbox and also spread the availability of the book, ive decided to maybe uhhh copy and paste the scans into text and post them here. this will take a while since my scanner app’s OCR feature is a bit spotty and the text needs to be formatted/cleaned, and the OCR some chinese names kinda wonky/misspelled.

but yeah, that’s what i hope to do with this blog.

also general disclaimer about my usual stance on piracy. -> so, i normally don’t do this. i used to when i was younger and i watched anime on kissanime and stuff, as we all did. however, it was a big hassle. sites urls kept changing to prevent takedowns, things were confusing, unsafe, and we all had to awkwardly explain to our family that our siblings couldn’t use the single shared family computer for homework because we wanted to watch “INUYASHA SUB ENG EP25 PART 1/4” and infected the computer with like 900 viruses. 

you know, the usual early 2000′s childhood. 

plus as stuff in the western fandom became more streamlined/accessable and safer with legit sites like crunchyroll/netflix/hulu/etc., i just. stopped pirating. it wasn’t worth the hassle anymore. i also have a jump subscription bc it’s only like $2 a month and it’s been really good for me. i also use the library/was a student librarian so. yeah. i dont normally do this stuff and i dont normally encourage piracy. 

however, in this case, this is just ridiculous. a 4000 year old classic piece of literature having only one translation? that’s stupidly overpriced? that is only physically available because there is no digital version? when you can literally find the original language version online for free on like 80 different sites bc its a classic and no one cares? wtf?

TL;DR - I don’t normally do/encourage piracy, but in this case, FUCK ACADEMIA/THE GREEDY PUBLISHING INDUSTRY/NEW WORLD PRESS/WHATEVER AND/OR WHOEVER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FUCKERY THAT IS THE ABSOLUTE TRAIN WRECK OF HANDLING/GATEKEEPING/PAYWALLING OF THIS VERSION. IM POSTING IT ONLINE.