#just wanted to write some hater love and solidarity

[jellyheadwriting]

hi hi!! might i request a noel levine imagine of just fluff? perhaps with some angst, since... it is noel 👀

Hello!! Thank you for your request... (o˘◡˘o) I hope this was the sort of thing you had in mind...!

the hydra (noel x GN demon reader)

The Witch Dorothy’s mansion was often filled with many interesting characters… Humans with colorful backgrounds, and Hater Demons such as yourself, operating within the underbelly of the cursed building. Among these figures, you had one special friend…

Noel Levine, a fellow demon. But to you, he was an angel like no other.

You tried as often as you could to bring him happiness, and comfort… You shielded him from Lime and the other demons as much as you could, whisking him away during select hours of the long days and nights, and bringing him to your special fantasy space.

Tonight was one of those nights, the low level demons in Hell were being especially hostile to him during the daytime hours, and Noel just looked positively hopeless… You approached him, extending one of your hands to him and trying to give him your best and warmest smile.

“Oh… Hello there,” his voice was dry, he had not spoken a word all throughout the day.

Your heart twinged, and you leaned down to help him up off of the floor where he sat. You asked him if he wanted to come with you tonight to your secret place, and he nodded slowly. After making sure you weren’t being followed, you led him there just like always.

It was truly a beautiful and peaceful place… There were fields upon fields of soft, green grass underneath a brilliant blue night sky, filled with stars that you hung up just for Noel’s sake. A large plaid baby blue picnic blanket was laid out, with a large and heavy constellations book on it waiting to be opened by him. Its cover was full of intricate and lovely carvings, like a grimoire from a fairy tale. In this place, it was perpetually Spring, one of the best seasons for star-gazing, and the season with the most pleasant breezes.

When the two of you arrived, you helped him out of his blue coat, folding it with care and setting it into one of the corners of the picnic blanket. You both then took a seat right next to each other, your hand instinctively reaching out to rub his back comfortingly. He took in a big shaky breath, and then looked up at that starry sky, the wind dreamily gracing his face, washing away his prior anxiety.

Then, suddenly, his features lit up with excitement. He scrambled to open his big book of constellations, flipping through the pages like someone opening their christmas present. When he arrived at his desired page, he smiled brightly, and turned the book in your direction, pointing a finger up at the sky, directing your gaze to a huge constellation.

“Hydra is out tonight, please, take a look..! It’s so beautiful…!”

You smiled, studying the contents of the book, and once again tilting your head up to look at the stars. It was certainly beautiful as he said, but you were enjoying his smiling face the most. You asked him to please tell you about the Hydra. His eye twinkled at your request, and he got straight to work.

“Well… The most notable thing about the Hydra is that it is the largest constellation in our sky. It is located south of the constellation Cancer, and its tail lies in between Centaurus and Libra… To my knowledge, it is not just associated with the Lernean Hydra, the immortal water snake with nine heads. It is also associated with the story of Apollo, The Crow, and The Water Snake…!”

You watched him, the love visible in your face as he rambled on… Your hand moved on its own, inching over to his free one while he spoke. You let your fingers slide over the top side of his hand, and he suddenly stopped talking, alerting you instantly. His eye was now fixated on both of your hands instead of the Hydra, his cheeks turning a dusty pink. He wasn’t brave enough to ask if you were meaning to do that, or what you meant by it… Instead he shyly looked up to meet your gaze, his many questions plain as day in his body language.

You apologized, asking him if he wanted you to stop.

“Um… No, I… That’s okay, I think… Please, do what you like.”

You could tell how hard it was for him to get that sentence out. You interlock your fingers with his, your palms now flush together. He breathed in sharply through his nose at this sign of affection. The sun timidly turned away from the moon, hoping it did not notice how brightly it burned inside… His hand was just a little bit sweaty.

You cut into the silence, asking if he would like to lay down together so that you could both better see the stars. His surprise was the only thing that gave him courage to look your way again, and he struggled for a moment, before simply and quietly whispering.

“Okay…”

The book was set to the side, and your backs met with the soft blanket, cushioned by the pillowy grass below. Your hands were still locked tightly, and you couldn’t help but steal more glances at the pretty man who laid beside you. His skin and bright hair seemed to glow in the moonlight, he truly looked ethereal. You thought you were being sneaky about your ogling, but he soon turned to face you with an expression like he was aware that you were looking at him, and he was embarrassed about it.

“Um… Can I ask you something?” He asked, and you told him to go ahead. “Why… Why are you so kind to me? It’s very strange, you know… The other demons are so much different than you. You don’t seem like you should have ended up here, in this miserable place… “

You stared at him languidly, not wanting to talk about things such as your nature, or why you became a demon. You decided to ignore those hidden parts of his question.

“I’m kind to you because you deserve kindness, Noel… And also… Just because I like you.”

His lips parted, and then shut tight. He turned his head in the opposite direction… You could see the tips of his ears still, and they were bright red. He didn’t dare ask how you meant what you said. He couldn’t, not just yet…

So, you both laid hand in hand for a long while, slowly slipping back into your usual conversation… He told you a little more about the Hydra, and its surrounding constellation, and you made sure to listen to him earnestly. After a while of more comfortable silence, he spoke up, his voice as soft as a feather.

“Thank you… For this time we share. I really do not know what I would do without it…”

You tell him that your moments together are just as precious to you.

Noel leans in closer to you bravely, clutching your hand with the anxiety that always came as time passed, and he realized that this moment couldn’t last forever…

[emo-batboy]

i'd like the chart thanks!

Also, there's another person who wants to rp Leo, can they?

Okay a few people are asking for the chart so here’s the current chart!! (I took out some characters that are still not as fleshed out. That includes Nathan, Ria, Nina, Ashley, Zoe, Ray, Maggie, and the hater and Metropolis characters, but they’re all filler characters rn)

A Wild Battinson Character Lore Continuity

- Felicity

- Oldest of the bunch, right between Millennial and Gen Z

- Works at an office, besties with everyone there. Corporate girlie (does use the term girlboss)

- Like if a Gothamite/Bruce Wayne fan was swiftie-coded?

- She has a pet pitbull, you know that kind of white girl

- Tatum

- Goth U, Comp Sci major

- Keeps everyone he knows online at arms length so we don’t know much, has a small close knit friend group irl but he’s also mutuals with everybody on twitter because he’s that kinda guy yk?

- But they’re slowly convincing him. He’s getting there

- Marzia

- Oh god poor Marzia

- Italian, born in Northern Italy, English is her second language but you wouldn’t be able to tell if it weren’t for her slight accent

- Biggest Bruce Wayne stan, will go feral, but only gets replies from him at the worst moments possible

- *snorts like cocaine* “Please don’t do cocaine” is my personal favorite

- Goth U, she gives art major vibes but tacked on a double major in psychology last minute so now she’s staying a fifth year

- Reads smut, writes smut, part of the poetry club, def on booktok, you know the type

- Alejandro

- Runs an ice cream stand in the park on the weekends when it’s warm enough

- Bi, Dating Leo (pfp is them holding hands because he’s a whipped son of a bitch)

- He’s like if that normal-looking kind of athletic guy who always wore sweatshirts and basketball shorts to class just suddenly mentioned he had a boyfriend one day.

- He’s straight-coded but more specifically “the straight guy that gay guys have crushes on against their better judgement”-coded

- Knew the whole time he was bi but never REALLY liked a guy until Leo 🥺. whenever he looks at Leo, he’s got those madly in love eyes

- Thinks Batman is hot and suffers constant torment from Leo (who has a crush on Bruce) because of it

- Ale just wants to be bench pressed is that too much to ask? But It’s his fault he’s a twunk dating a twink so—

- Goth U, Really interested in tech stuff but he’s actually a sports medicine major. He wants to be a physical therapist for athletes

- Cannot hold his liquor

- Smile Watch

- Who knows

- It���s a mystery

- Lela

- Goth Girl

- BFF’s with Nico (goth girl, e-boy solidarity)

- Also good friends with Natalie, they lined up all their gen Ed’s together

- Chill in a Morticia Addams kinda way. She is Morticia Addams actually

- Mom owns a convenience store, she helps out after classes a lot

- Studied for the MCAT, did pretty well, she wants to be a doctor (probably neurosurgeon but it depends on what internship she gets)

- Currently completing the undergrad to grad program at Goth University with a masters in public health

- Natalie

- Former intern, now ASSISTANT at Wayne Press

- Got the job because she impressed Bruce with her good reporting skills, now works mostly on organizing press releases and maintaining Bruce’s public image

- Great at her job because she knows social media and Bruce Wayne Stans the best (she is one obv)

- (Babysits Bruce when Alfred is busy, how did this happen, why is this her job now? She’s tired of his shit lol)

- Still technically working part-time because she hasn’t gotten her degree yet, but she’s set to work full time after she graduates Goth U in May

- Sometimes while sitting at her desk she just gets that perspective shift where she’s like “how did I get here” Bruce Wayne Stans’ dreams do come true

- Caleb 🤡

- Literally 18/19 but aging faster than humanly possible with the stress he’s under

- Used to work at Bat Burger, left because the babysitting gig required more time

- Lives with his aunt who’s already retired (used to live alone, she never had kids or a husband so she’s loaded) He’s staying cuz his parents are super busy and travel for work :) and guess what crime-filled alley their window overlooks? I’ll give you one guess

- Babysits Tim, used to be a less serious gig but his parents have been out of town a lot lately (just vacationing without their child 🙄) and thankfully Caleb lives right across from their swanky apartment so he’s practically a nanny now (read: older sibling/third parent)

- Took a ton of childcare courses for this job and now he’s kind of interested in working at a daycare maybe? If Tim doesn’t kill him in his sleep first

- Recently graduated Goth High, now takes online classes at Goth Community College while deciding what to do with his life

- Jarod

- Recently graduated Goth High, now taking a gap year before starting GothU in the fall. Him and Caleb were always in the same classes so they’re super close (they’re the youngest)

- Future Comp Sci/English major (he wants to be a video game writer)

- Has a younger sister, and technically the oldest child but spiritually he’s the middle child.

- His parents and Priyanka’s parents are close friends so he kind of grew up seeing Priyanka as an older sister. That’s why they’re Like That.

- Literally so fed up with Priyanka, it’s not even funny (yes it is) but the second you’re rude to Priyanka, he will deck you, watch yourself

- Katie (Sweater Thief)

- ER Nurse at Gotham General Hospital, mostly does night shifts

- Gives chronically online energy when she’s online, but everyone in real life wouldn’t suspect a thing because she’s so good at having her life together (the code switch will give you whiplash)

- Surprisingly older than most of the others despite being Like That.

- Literally graduated with a 4.2 GPA how tf?

- BFF’s with Leo then became BFF’s with Ale too after they started dating (she is slowly corrupting Ale and I think that’s beautiful)

- Creator of the Babygirl Bruce Wayne Agenda and PROUD

- Priyanka

- Works at coffee shop owned by her mom called Caffe Mood. She plans to run it one day. Currently a barista

- Goth U, business major (accounting)

- Bilingual, knows Hindi

- LESBIAN QUEEN

- Despite being gay, She is allowed to think Bruce Wayne is hot, that is her Right

- Mad fucking crush on Georgia, calls her Georgie. Intends to never tell a soul. Will fail miserably

- Dead fucking set on the idea that Batman’s a vampire

- But she thinks everyone’s a vampire so—

- Her parents and Jarod’s parents are close friends so she kind of grew up seeing Jarod as a younger brother. That’s why they’re Like That

- Jarod is constantly on her nerves, wtf Jarod (but be mean to him and she’ll kill you)

- Leo

- Works at bookstore called Gotham City Bookstore

- Gay, Dating Alejandro

- Twink (derogatory)

- Swears his gaydar is the most accurate there is (always wrong)

- Made being gay his entire personality because he had an identity crisis in middle school and proceeded to have a massive crush on some straight guy all of high school (that guy was Ale, Leo’s gaydar is so off)

- BFF’s with Katie despite being a few years younger. They were in a high school production of Sweeney Todd together and the rest was history

- Calls every single celebrity gay as a joke, Ale reigns him in if he’s getting too out of hand

- Used to have a mad celebrity crush on Bruce, still kinda (definitely) does

- Attends GothU, undecided for a while but ultimately settled on mathematics because it’s ironically his best subject

- One of those mf’s that needs to be held back at all costs, god help Ale

- Rose 🌹

- Works a tailoring job full time

- Good friends with Felicity, she’s like the black cat to Felicity’s golden retriever

- 70% super nice and chill, 30% wild card party girl

- Gets drinks with friends a lot, tweets when drunk but no one can tell the difference. It’s amazing

- Does not seem horny, is horny. But like normal about it? If that’s a thing

- Nico

- Kinda plays the straight man of the group if the straight man was emo

- BFF’s with Lela (e-boy, goth girl solidarity)

- KING of twitter roasts. He makes memes to end lives.

- Pansexual, single, and probably writing bad poetry in his diary about it but don’t tell anyone

- Goth U, actually dunno the major. Probs public health with Lela but doesn’t want to be a doctor. More like research parallel to social sciences

- Has a 8/9yo sister named Madelaine whom he would die for despite not expecting to be an older brother so late in the game (what were his parents thinking)

- Has tea parties with her and all that jazz. She steals his eyeliner and chain accessories all the time, also she’s friends with Dick and Barbie (yes, Barbara Gordon) so sometimes he watches over their play dates

- He’s a “tough emo boy” so he totally doesn’t laugh at Madelaine’s puns. He’s a bitch ass liar

- Kellyanne

- GothU, marine biology. Transferred from GCCC with an associates degree to save money but now she’s got a full ride cuz of the WE higher education fund

- More recent Bruce Stan

- Pretty poor upbringing, that’s how she met Bruce Wayne. He bought her whole family groceries one night after her card declined at the convenience store trying to buy dinner

- Now she’s in it for the long haul :)

- Lia

- GothU, fashion merchandising

- A GIRL’S GIRL

- Older sister also attends Goth U, but she’s in med school

- More recent Bruce Wayne stan, still not particularly in with the culture and jokes but getting there

- Friends with Georgia and Elizabeth irl. Elizabeth was in the same sorority before graduating first. Got to know Georgia after Lia found her dog with Bruce at the park outside GothU. They party together now

- Elizabeth

- Graduated GothU last May and worked an internship at LexCorp, immediately regretted it but snagged a job at WE (thank god)

- Now works as a research assistant at Wayne Tech in the R&D department for commercial products

- Didn’t really get the whole Bruce Wayne Stan thing until Bruce Wayne personally wished her a happy birthday?? The man is so sweet?

- Absolutely loves her job but still screams at rubber ducks over faulty code in her little cubicle, but that’s the industry she chose so it’s a give and take

- Met Natalie through Stan twitter and now they DM each other about working at Wayne Enterprises

- Doesn’t post much on twitter but follows the main Bruce Stan accounts, irl friends with Lia and Georgia

- Georgia

- Has a dog named Bean

- GothU, majoring in like three languages, polyglot (including Hindi 😏)

- Works at a retail home decor kinda store (home goods?)

- So lesbian-coded, but does not know it yet. Priyanka is her gay awakening. She is now a regular at Caffe Mood (She thinks she just likes the coffee (yeah right))

- Works at Goth U’s admissions department over the summer too

- Once got drunk and locked herself onto a roof by accident, ended up hanging out with Batman (he offered to break into her apartment for her but she said “nah”)

- Jane

- Works at Wayne Enterprises

- Runs bring your kid to work day (idk what her actual job is but she’s an Essential Worker, okay?)

- Very sweet, 10/10, looks on the bright side but never in a toxic positivity way

- Super social too, became work friends with Bruce because she’s nice but not draining to his social battery? They have lunch on occasion

- Watched the Graysons die with Bruce, call that trauma bonding

- Watched her toxic ex’s car burn to a crisp after a joker spree and took a selfie with it (she can have a little revenge, as a treat)

[sabezradinboweek]

Sabezra Dinbo Solidarity Week Rules:

Now that we’ve given you guys an overview of what the week is about and the prompts for each day, let’s get into what rules must be followed in order to participate!

All content created must include BOTH sabezra and dinbo! This is a joint ship week that means this week is about both pairings! This is why we gave you guys two months to make content instead of the standard one month most ship weeks have because this ship week involves double the pairings! That means if you’re doing art you need to have both dinbo and sabezra present in your pieces. If you’re writing a fic you must have both couples be equally involved in it, you can’t just write a sabezra fic with dinbo as a side pairing and vice versa. The only exception being you are allowed to create separate pieces for the ships but they have to connect in some way! For example if you decide to create tarot card designs for the free day and you do one card for dinbo and one for sabezra that’s perfectly fine but you must either post them together or include a link to the other piece somewhere on each separate post.

No negativity allowed! We know that both sabezra and dinbo shippers have been handling their haters maturely so we really don’t need to state this as a rule but we’re going to anyway just in case. The reason we started this ship week is to spread positivity around two shipping communities who have received an undeserved amount of hate. Therefore, we should not be bringing that toxicity into the ship week. None of the content created for the week should be mocking other ships or opinions. We’re just here to celebrate the ships and opinions we enjoy not to remind everyone of the beliefs of our haters! And trust me (Emily), I’ve been in fandom long enough to know that us merely existing in fandom and creating content for a pairing we love and being happy about it will make haters far more miserable than any discourse possibly could

All content created must be tagged as #sabezradinboweek this is how we’re going to find the pieces that people create for the week and reblog them here! So you must use that tag or we will not see it!

You’re also allowed to post your pieces on other social medias as well not just tumblr! There will be a collection set up on Ao3 for all of the fics and if people want to post their art on instagram and twitter you are more than welcome to do so!

If you have any other questions feel free to send and ask to the blog!

[dabi-drift]

Yaoyorozu, Hawks, Bakugou, Amajiki, Dabi, Mirko & Geten with a Genderfluid S/O:

If you want any characters adding here or to anything else I write, just drop me a comment or an ask!

Momo Yaoyorozu:

☿ It was hard enough for you to acknowledge your own gender- fully understanding it was a different topic - so coming out to Momo was going to be tough.

☿ Really tough.

☿ She was a lovely girl and a wonderful girlfriend.

☿ But could you really expect her to be supportive of something so complex?

☿ Your gender fluctuated a lot - sometimes you'd feel distinctly outside the binary, and sometimes you'd feel more masculine, or more feminine.

☿ You hadn't noticed this until recently; you rarely gave gender a second thought.

☿ Looking at yourself in the mirror and questioning everything that felt a little off, you'd figured that maybe you just wanted to feel special, a little different.

☿ So you researched. A lot.

☿ You had a system that no-one understood because you were still deep in the closet: a different coloured strand/extension in your hair (on one side only) that stood out but was never questioned.

☿ Red = Feminine, Purple = Non-Binary, Blue = Masculine, Green = Third Gender/Multigender.

☿ Coming out was a decision you spent countless nights debating.

☿ No-one 'deserved' to know, it was really nobody's business…but being gendered correctly 100% of the time did sound nice.

☿ Deep breaths, and positive thoughts.

☿ "I identify as…no, I am genderfluid. You, eh…you should probably know that."

☿ This sweet, precious thing was confused at first.

☿ But you explained it:

☿ "Sometimes I'll feel more masculine, more like a boy, sometimes feminine, neither or both/all genders? I'm still wrapping my head around it too, but eh…it can change a lot. Sometimes a few times a day. Um…sometimes one gender will stick for a while. That's why figuring it out can be…confusing. But it's also enlightening, uh…kinda nice, warm, y'know?"

☿ Instantly says she understands and supports you.

☿ Expect a flurry of hugs and kisses.

☿ Acts like a very proud girlfriend.

☿ Pays extra attention to your hair - never wants to get anything wrong.

☿ If she does, she'll apologise immediately and reprimand herself.

☿ Go easy on her, she'll be an utter mess.

☿ Overall, her love for you is unconditional, and she makes sure that you know she's sorry.

"You shouldn't ever have to be scared to explain who you are."

Keigo Takami/Hawks:

☿ Keigo knew something was amiss.

☿ You'd been dating for two years, and although he never pried, he couldn’t help noticing the way you'd suddenly become uncomfortable when someone addressed you, or when you stayed in one set of clothes for too long.

☿ It wasn’t always the same, and he just figured it was anxiety and general insecurities coming to the surface.

☿ So he held you closer, wrapped you in his wings and fussed over you for hours (or however long his job would allow).

☿ He didn’t have a lot of time to consult the internet.

☿ He also didn’t want to pressure you into revealing anything.

☿ But now, the topic was unavoidable.

☿ You'd broken down, crying and mumbling to yourself when you thought he couldn’t hear you.

☿ He finds you kneeling in front of the full-length mirror in the bedroom.

☿ Rushes to your side in an instant.

☿ "What did the mirror do to you, dove?"

☿ Very, very worried, feathers shaking around you.

☿ Defensive birb, ready to protect you from that loathsome mirror.

☿ "I-I look so…so girly today! It's awful! My chest, and…and…I don’t have a binder, and I…"

☿ Doesn't understand, but is determined not to worsen your mood.

☿ "Hey, look at me. What are binders, and where would we get one?"

☿ He places both hands on your cheeks, and you lean into him.

☿ "They're…they flatten your chest, um…sports bras and binders…I-I've never bought one, so I don’t know…"

☿ He nods. "Do you wanna come with me to look for one?"

☿ You're perplexed - shouldn’t he be weirded out by this?

☿ He laughs, and somehow, it warms your heart. "I just want you to be happy. I'd do anything to make that happen, angel. You might need to explain all this to me, though. I'm a newbie, after all."

☿ He takes physical notes - nothing will catch this man out.

☿ If someone misgenders you, he'll correct them immediately.

☿ If someone acts ignorant or spiteful, he'll 'politely' tell them how to adjust their attitude, and how to address people outside the gender binary.

☿ I.e, respect them even if you don't have a complete grasp on their identity, and never, ever misgender or marginalise them.

"You are yourself, not how others perceive you."

Katsuki Bakugou:

☿ You decided to use pronoun badges. There were some awesome-looking designs out there, and you'd been feeling a little more confident lately. It couldn’t hurt to clue your classmates in, right? Plus, you supposed Katsuki ought to know…he was your boyfriend, after all. He'd definitely be pissed if he discovered this a few years down the line, rage about you not placing enough trust in him, and it'd be a huge mess…

☿ You'd never interrogated him on LGBTQ+ issues, so you weren't sure how he'd take your news; he wasn’t always the most accepting (Midoriya & the quirkless community being obvious testaments to that).

☿ Needless to say, instead of being confused, he was frustrated. Why was he with someone who didn’t even know their correct pronouns? He pointed it out, very matter-of-fact.

☿ When your dazzling smile suddenly dropped, he became concerned. Was he the idiot after all? Why did he upset you? What in the Nine Circles of Hell possessed him to do that?? He didn’t even say anything bad! All he mentioned was…

☿ Oh. Shit.

☿ This boy isn't accustomed to apologising, so don’t expect it to flow naturally. He’ll try, because he loves you, but he won't keep eye contact for very long and he'll recant every few seconds.

☿ This perceived insincerity only masks his guilt, though. He’ll beat himself up for years, unless you stop him. This boy has no chill. He's always the first to go off on people when they disrespect or degrade you, so he's gotta make amends in some way, right?

☿️ Honestly, if there are any pronoun badges with really cool or pretty designs, he'll buy them for you. He'll also get for himself, to prove his acceptance and solidarity. He won't ever allow you to feel alone again. He's more than okay with your identity - it changes absolutely nothing about you. If anything, it gives you a sense of completion. He's here for that, 100%.

☿️ You better believe he'll fight for your rights.

☿️ If there's any hate/intolerance directed at you, he'll explode. Quite literally.

☿️ You'll be tasked with ensuring no-one dies. Unless you want them to, of course.

☿️ They'll deserve it.

☿️ Katsuki is very perceptive, so when he gets to grips with it, he'll most likely notice every indication (however subtle) of a gender change. He'll carry spare pronoun badges around, just in case you lose yours.

☿️ Secretly, he's swimming in pride.

☿️ He's kinda like 'Yeah, that's my awesome partner! Look how cool they are, flaunting their pronouns like that, all confident and happy!'

☿️ This boy adores the ever-loving shit out of you. He hates reflecting on the day you came out, because he handled it so poorly at first. Thankfully now though, you're more secure.

"Gender doesn't matter. I'm gonna be a hero, not a hater."

Tamaki Amajiki:

☿️ (Y/n) wasn’t a dead name, but sometimes the very mention of it made your skin crawl.

☿️ It was a gift from your parents, so you wanted to keep it.

☿️ But it was a very gendered name - you couldn’t escape that.

☿️ So you decided on a few more - ones both your mind and heart adored.

☿️ The names corresponded to different gender identities, and although you weren't out just yet (though you planned to be shortly), they gave you the fluffiest feeling.

☿️ Because you hadn't come out, you didn’t bother making it easy for people - no different coloured bracelets, rings or anything to highlight your gender at the time.

☿️ In your heart, you knew who you were.

☿️ Still…everything seemed tied to the binary - official documents, school, the chatter of other students…you'd seen and heard it all.

☿️ These people didn’t accept non-conformists.

☿️ So why should Tamaki?

☿️ Sure, he was kind-hearted, heroic…amazing, but what would he do? What would he say, when you finally came out? You couldn’t remain in the closet forever.

☿️ No way that was happening! You were human too, your feelings mattered! Surely you were allowed to voice your truth…

☿️ Tamaki loved you.

☿️ He'd be accepting…right? Memorising some more names and pronouns shouldn’t be so tricky.

☿️ To minimise discomfort for both of you, you chose to explain things in his room.

☿️ He got really nervous at first - he thought you wanted to break up.

☿️ Boy was sweating profusely, coming up with all sorts of counter-arguments in his head. He really, really loved you.

☿️ "(Y-Y/n)-"

☿️ "Um, could you maybe call me (O/n) today? It's an…off-spectrum day."

☿️ Cue more confusion than Momo.

☿️ He'll ask about it in a really gentle voice - being anxious himself, he can easily pick up on other people's signs.

☿️ "Basically…my gender's fluid, so…you know how 'sex' is biological and 'gender' is a sense of identity? Well, sometimes I align with my birth sex, sometimes I don't. Today is…one of those days."

☿️ He'll hold your hand while he listens, squeezing it periodically to reassure you.

☿️ Now it's your turn to question the strength of your relationship.

☿️ This boy's love is deep, though; he cares way too much to let anything come between you.

☿️ Plus, nothing about you has actually changed.

☿️ You've just come into yourself, gained more comfort in who you are.

☿️ Tells you how proud he is.

☿️ Asks you to let him know when you sense your gender change, so he never calls you by the wrong name or pronouns.

☿️ It's They/Them today, but who knows about tomorrow? Or even an hour from now?

☿️ Finds gender-neutral compliments and nicknames, and does a ton of research.

☿️ Has an entire script in his head - if you want to come out but can't speak for yourself, Tamaki will push aside his anxiety and recite the words he's practiced a million times.

"You've finally found yourself - only change if it feels right."

Touya Todoroki/Dabi:

☿️ Your identity was really important and dear to your heart.

☿️ But that didn’t stop those you cared for tearing you apart whenever you tried to speak up.

☿️ Your family, your friends…you loved them, but they just couldn’t accept you.

☿️ So you killed them.

☿️ You went on the run, evading police and heroes alike for years.

☿️ And then, you found the League of Villains - a strange dynamic, kind of like family but much more welcoming.

☿️ Yet, your identity stayed hidden. You didn’t have the strength to harm all these people, if they rejected you.

☿️ Besides, there was more solidarity here than there ever had been with your blood relatives.

☿️ Dabi was your companion, though whether that meant closest friend or love interest, you didn’t know.

☿️ He was observant, transforming his thoughts into words regardless of how that affected people.

☿️ He pointed things out immediately.

☿️ "New bracelet?"

☿️ You paused, half-shocked, half-afraid.

☿️ You knew that he'd see through any lie you posed.

☿️ The truth would be the only thing to save you from his flames.

☿️ "That means something, doesn't it, (Y/n)?"

☿️ Step 1: put the drink down so you don't shatter it in anger.

☿️ "Yeah, um…this colour means 'masculine'. I'm a guy…now."

☿️ His face betrayed nothing.

☿️ "Like a reverse Magne?"

☿️ You wondered if that was a genuine question or an attempt at humour.

☿️ Todorokis don't understand jokes.

☿️ "No…she's a transgender woman, I'm genderfluid. I'm not confined to a single gender. It, uh…it changes."

☿️ His nod didn’t instil you with confidence.

☿️ "You out to the others yet?"

☿️ "Didn't think they'd accept me."

☿️ He made a 'Really? You're the least weird of the bunch' face.

☿️ "Ah, I'll just burn 'em if they don't."

☿️ You were too stunned to employ a comeback.

☿️ He contemplated for a while.

☿️ "So, you got any other names?"

☿️ Helps you plan how to come out to the rest of the League.

☿️ Will legitimately burn the haters.

"Found families are more accepting than the real thing."

Rumi Usagiyama/Mirko:

☿️ You bought three mugs - 'It's a Girl', 'It's a Boy' and 'It's a Mess'.

☿️ The excitement had been bubbling away inside you for weeks.

☿️ Rumi still didn’t know that you were genderfluid, but she was about to learn.

☿️ There wasn’t a doubt in your mind that she'd accept you.

☿️ You hadn't told her yet because it was a big thing - lots to take in, and you needed to be completely sure of it, and of your relationship.

☿️ You weren't gonna tell just anyone.

☿️ Dating Rumi was awesome, and this was just the next stage.

☿️ It didn’t go according to plan.

☿️ Not at first.

☿️ "You're pregnant?!" Was her very concerned response.

☿️ She kept muttering about how she needed some space to think things over.

☿️ Until you dragged her back, exasperated but determined to explain yourself.

☿️ "It's in reference to myself. I wanted to let you know, in a funny way, that I'm genderfluid. There's a Girl and a Boy one, and the other is for Non-Binary."

☿️ She made a noise like she understood, but you saw the confusion.

☿️ "Today's an Enby day, but you might have a girlfriend tomorrow. Or a boyfriend. Who knows?"

☿️ In an instant, the biggest smile took control of her face, and she brought you into a crushing hug.

☿️ "So I could have a girlfriend, a boyfriend and a murder partner??"

☿️ "Eh…if you can do the jail-time, count me in."

☿️ This one won't necessarily search for information herself, but she will consult you whenever she's having a difficult time processing something.

☿️ You're like,, the expert in all things LGBTQ+, and she loves listening to you talk so passionately.

☿️ She's really glad you told her - that you trusted her with something so important.

☿️ She feels loved, and makes sure you do too.

☿️ Asks if you ever thought she'd reject you.

☿️ "Nah. We'll go strong forever, Rumi."

☿️ She's overjoyed, honestly.

"You're so brave for coming out, and if someone doesn’t like it, I'll kick their butt."

Geten/Iceman:

☿️ Geten didn’t have the faintest clue about gender identities. He accepted male and female, but without a proper education or motivation to learn anything beside his quirk, you didn’t expect him to understand. You would've held it in, if you were strong enough to deal with the constant misgendering.

☿️ If you use Neopronouns, you're especially worried. They aren't as widely welcomed as the general She/He/They. And Geten being the angry, feral gremlin he is, his temper was a major concern.

☿️ You couldn’t change for him, so if he decided to lash out or disapprove, you'd be crushed. You'd obviously have to walk out of the relationship, if he didn’t do so himself. As deeply as your love ran, you simply couldn’t put yourself through such anguish. You weren't of the soundest mind, so to be rejected by Geten…

☿️ He isn't gonna understand unless you sit him down, crack open the slideshow presentation and maybe start crying? He'll feel guilty, but he doesn't ever wanna see you in distress. He said as much, in the beginning of your relationship.

☿️ So cry. Cry your little heart out, and he'll do everything within his power to comfort you. He's not the most receptive to other people's emotions, but with you, it's different. He's always by your side, always watching over you. His hugs are a little stiff, but wrap your arms around him tightly, and he'll protect you with his life.

☿️ "So…genderfluid?"

☿️ His tone is gentle, like he's afraid to cause any more tears.

☿️ "Yeah, um…you identify with your birth sex, right? Well, I don't…not all the time. And if you could…could use those pronouns? That would mean…a lot. To me. It'd mean everything, actually…"

☿️ He's quiet for a while, still trying to make space in his brain for all this new information. It isn't something he needs to 'come around to', though. He'll be completely painful and respectful. He's bound to slip up a few times, but he'll always correct himself.

☿️ Hates seeing you cringe whenever he makes a mistake. Always vows never to let it happen again.

☿️ You're okay though - you know it's gonna take time.

☿️ Angry boi never uses your gender identity as an insult, and openly condemns (threatens) anyone who does. He'll want to prove himself - prove he's gonna love you regardless of gender, regardless of everything!

☿️ Honestly doesn't know why you were so nervous to explain this. When he said his love was unconditional, he wasn’t lying.

“There’s no way I couldn’t accept who you are.”

[staticblitz-moved]

PWEASE READ

27 yo, March 23

Neutrois Transmasc. xe/xem/xyrs, he/him/his & she/her.

T4T, Bi, grey-ace & demiromantic. I’m proudly Queer! I have a lovely girlfriend too :)

AUS/NZ, pākeha (white)

Down with the sickness!

I’m a lover, I’m a hater, I’m an autistic disaster. I’m probably not into the big popculture thing. I may sound a bit scary, but it’s an act, I’m friendly provided you’re not trying to start something.

I love Crash Bandicoot, Digimon, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure, Spyro the Dragon, Invader Zim, Star Trek, Furries & Table Top Roleplaying Games (D&D, Pathfinder & Gaslands). I also like music, mostly metal, punk, ska, new wave, drum n bass & some other EDM.

I’m an artist, check out #blitz art for my art :3

I am sexpositive & do on-n-off sexwork, I might discuss sexworker rights. I’m an Anarcho-Communist politically, I value intersectional solidarity with marginalised folks above all.

I don’t do DNI’s anymore, I just block. Typically bigots, fandom creeps & ppl who get into weird discourse, or even ppl who are just annoying make it here. Don’t take it personally :^)

I tag #gifs & #vids (videos). I also tag images, gifs & videos without transcriptions as #no id, I typically try to write IDs when I can. If you are photosensitive I tag for #flashing, #flashing gif & #eyestrain.

I would really appriciate if you would tag these things for me to avoid; pedophilia, csa, child abuse, animal abuse, animal death, incest, religious abuse, chain letters (those posts that tell you to reblog for something to happen, or something will happen if I don’t reblog)

If there is anything you need tagged or if I reblog from someone shitty, please lemme know! I want this space to be chill for me.

[bitletsanddrabbles]

Customer Service Solidarity: Why I Don’t Complain About Julian Fellowes

This post is happening because it's 9 pm on what is effectively my Tuesday. That means I've had two days of packing groceries for people and three days left. The good news is that it's been a good week as far as serving entitled brats who are old enough to be my parents. But our store is super busy, with generally 400 to 1000 people walking through the door per hour, having a 1% annoying customers rate is ............ still a lot of people.

Not as much as 1% of roughly 1 million customers, though, which is what Julian Fellowes has to put up with. Which leads to days that go like this -

- Work -

Me: *finishes packing groceries the way 90% of customers like it packed* There you go! Have a nice day!

Customer: *hasn't said boo to me the whole transaction. Now pushes their cart just far enough out of the way for me to hear when they say - in a slightly raised voice* Well, I guess I'm just going to have to repack everything myself because she doesn't know how to pack groceries!

Me: *bites my tongue hard enough to pierce it to keep from turning around and saying that at least I know how to ask for things I want, be it 'please pack this way' or even 'please let me pack my own groceries' rather than being an entitled, microagressive asshat*

- Home -

Me: FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Time to relax! I could sure go in for some fluff. What ya' got for me, Ao3?

Fanfic Writer: Okay, so, here's my story which is what really should have happened in the show that I had to write myself because Julian Fellowes doesn't know how to write a story!

Me: .............or maybe I'll do something fun, like going to clean the toilet.

I don't complain about Julian Fellowes.

I don't complain about what he did or did not do with the show.

I could. There are certainly bits that make me go 'meh' or 'wtf happened there?'

I just don't.

This has lead to, among other things, one time being accused of being 'besties' wtih JF or even being JF in disguise....because script writers have nothing to do but comment on other people's fanfiction. This was no one I talk to on tumblr, but still. It happened.

And why did it happen? Why do I so steadfastly refuse to complain about the upper class, cys, heterosexual white guy who made so many mistakes and poor decision when writing the show I love? The guy who so many people assure me is a homophobic hater of the working class? The guy who ruthlessly robbed my favorite character of the development/relationship/witty dialogue/etc. he deserved?

Because after a day of dealing with shitty, entitled customers, the last thing I want to do is be someone else's shitty, entitled customer!

And no, I don't care that Julian Fellowes lives in England and isn't there to hear me whisper to the person shopping with me "Do you see that? She put the frozen broccoli on top of the ground beef! What is she thinking?"

He will never know if I slap in some two second, no brain cell answer like "She must have never packed groceries a day in her life!" that lets me feel superior rather than applying logic and coming to the conclusion of "Actually, she's worked here long enough to know that most people like their cold stuff packed together and would rather than the frozen broccoli (packaged in two individual bags inside another bag) on top of the ground beef (wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in a plastic bag) than risk having e coli burgers for dinner!"

I do not care that he won't know I'm defending him because ultimately, it's not even about him. It's about me and the kind of person I want to be, and

I.

Do.

Not.

Want.

To.

Be.

That.

Customer.

So yeah, I look at my "Um, that made no sense?" moments and think of all the practical, non-judgy reasons it might have happened, ranging from 'well, it made sense at first, but the editors cut it' to 'he was on a deadline, fighting writer's block, and then WOOPS! He had bronchitis and couldn't make it pretty by time to film" rather than assigning him motives like "He was trying to make this character look incompetent because he doesn't love them."

If Rob decides he doesn't want to do any more Downton again ever and please kill off Thomas to make sure of it, I will not spend *calculates* Let's see...2012/2013 to 2020...say seven years looking at Lord Fellowes and screaming "HOW COULD YOU STOP CARRYING MY FAVORITE PRODUCT? Don't you know how wonderful it was? Everyone I know agrees hat it was the best thing ever! Everyone! You're losing a lot of money, not carrying it anymore! I should go shop somewhere else in protest!"

I won't, because every job I've ever had is customer service, every job I ever will have is customer service, because every job out there is customer service of some sort of another, and I respect my fellow customer service people, be they nobodies flipping burgers in McDonald’s, or big names writing stories to make my life a little more bearable.

I want to be the person who looks at the imperfections and still feels it more important to say “Thank you for continuing to work during this pandemic” or “Wow, that’s a nice packing job!” and then pushes the cart five feet before moving the eggs to where I like them because HEY! I didn’t say where I liked my eggs!

And maybe I’m over identifying with the man. Maybe the fact that this fandom has really driven home the fact that my former dream job of being a professional writer is just another form of retail is making me more tolerant than I should be. I don’t care, because at least I’m at least trying to think of someone else rather than insisting the world revolves around me and my needs.

So thank you, Julian Fellowes, for getting to the point where either the hamburger buns have to go on top of the eggs or the eggs have to go on top of the hamburger buns and figuring out that the eggs weigh more. I appreciate it, even if the bananas are probably a bit bruised because you almost dropped them.

[mediawhorefics]

Hiii this is very random but what are your favorite movies of all time??? Across all genres :) love youuuu x

oh helll yes !!!!!! thank you for giving me an excuse to talk about films. i fucking love it. i’m choosing to interpret favourites as in ... comfort movies, films i’ve seen 1000000x, films i can rewatch over and over. they’re not necessarily what i think to be the best movies of all time, just movies that mean a lot to me, that i can quote by heart, etc. 

titanic: i hate to give james cameron rights but he wrote one HELL of a romance and i’ll fight anyone who complains its insta-love or not meaningful when they have such an incredible connection and its SO well written. always in my heart @ rose dawson fav female character ever!! 

1917: i don’t want to talk about it but that’s emotional support wwi movie sir !!! my man george mackay did ALL OF THAT for 2h and got snubbed at every award show.... and people complained it was like watching a video game??? that movie is packed with SO MUCH character detail in such subtle performances i am obsessed with it. william schofield is IT re: traumatized repressed protags. 

the social network: best divorce film of all time. fleabag voice: this is a love story. ahead of its time. visionary. andrew garfield DID that!

pride: found family !!!!! solidarity !!!!!!!!  gay joy !!!! this movie is just IT. like yeah it’s rough and sad at times but it’s just so fucking delightful and comforting. 

captain america: the winter soldier: character-driven action films are SO sexy !! fleabag voice: this is a love story. other mcu films wish. they fucking wish !!!! marvel never topped this and they never will. end of. 

the departed: ok me simping for scorsese is very much my ‘straight male trait’ BUT the departed is one hell of a movie so i deserve a pass. 

star wars: revenge of the sith: i accept zero criticism over this. any prequels haters, the door is right there. i do not want to hear it. we got shakespeare levels of tragedy and drama over here and i LIVE for it. anakin’s downfall is like.... the epicentre of the saga, it is EVERYTHING. and !!!!! rots has the best lightsaber duel in the entirety of the star wars universe. (an argument COULD be made for some clone wars duels like maul/ahsoka but........). i mean best friends turned enemies anakin and obi wan fight on a lava planet ????? A LAVA PLANET ???? while yelling at each other cos they are so mad that they can’t see eye to eye ????? it ends with anakin catching fire ??? and obi wan yelling ‘i loved you’ ?????? the theatrics. the drama. the betrayal. the music. the fact that the stunt coordinator whose third eye is wide wide open said it was designed like an argument between a husband and a wife. i mean, you’re gonna look me in the eye and tell me any of the rey and kyle ron’s lightsaber duels even come close to that???? pffff. p l e a s e. revenge of the sith is IT. 

anastasia: 20th fox’s anastasia has like... zero historical facts and i love every second of it. it’s romantic as hell, has a better soundtrack than most disney films, has an iconic villain AND it’s actually quite touching. if we forget the fact that the romanovs were terrible people who made their whole country suffer terribly rip. 

you’ve got mail: my fav romcom. enemies to lovers except its set in BOOKSHOPS and romanticises autumn ?? did they write this for me specifically?? also ft. america’s sweetheart tom hanks as the love interest??? and a leading lady obsessed with p&p ?? he brings her daisies when she’s sick after her store closes because he remembers they’re her favourite flowers :(((( 

the eagle of the ninth: don’t @ me it has scotland and homoeroticism and a stellar soundtrack. is the slave thing fishy? sure. is the attitude re: empires and stuff not great? sure. but i love it despite its flaws. fleabag voice: this is a love story. also a lot of the fics are chef’s kiss so. also not to be this person but jamie bell in this movie is so hot. i mean he’s so hot. his *** energy is off the charts. 

dunkirk:  OH YOU KNOW. me, a war movie stan, a chris nolan stan & a harry styles stan: i’m gonna love this movie ??? a normal ??? amount???? narrator voice: she did not, in fact, love the movie a normal amount. 

lotr: fellowship of the ring: i mean does it even need an explanation?? it’s fellowship. every second is perfect. yes, even the weird elrond transition while frodo is ill at rivendell. and my man boromir breaks my heart the whole time. the ULTIMATE comfort movie. just joy joy joy joy. i mean tremendous pain too lots of it is really sad, but joy. i’m due for a rewatch soon. 

labyrinth: this movie is WEIRD in the best most fun way !!!! it has an amazing female empowerment finale AND david bowie being iconic looking like THAT the whole time ?? FAV. 

mulan (1998): bi !!!!! rights !!!!!!! bi4bi jocks !!!! has the best disney song in ‘i’ll make a man out of you’. no i don’t accept constructive criticism.

pride and prejudice (2005): does it need saying??? hand flex! proposal in the rain !! keira knightley looking like that !! 

i mean there’s a lot more lbr but that’s all i can think of rn lol

[floatingbook]

The place of lesbians in women’s liberation and lesbophobia (2/2)

- Reading: Tales of the Lavender Menace by Karla Jay (part 1 here)

On organising a women-only dance event as part of the GLF, and asking their “heterosexual sisters of the women’s movement” to attend, out of fear of failure of the event:

“We asked them to come to the dance as an act of support. Many of the women I knew from of Redstockings and Rat [Rat Subterranean News, a radical bi-monthly that had begun publishing in fall  1969, taken over by militant feminists in 1970] agreed to come. Just under the surface of solidarity, however, lurked tensions. When I mistakenly asked one woman twice, she accused me of trying to transform her into a lesbian.

Some of the women I asked refused to attend. Many of them objected to the very notion of dances for the same reasons I did. A few feminists had additional objections as well. One woman, writing for Rat, expressed a “ fear of breaking down this political, nearly formal relationship with my sisters and sisters I would meet.” Her phobia about “dancing with sisters because it means ‘sexual’” was one I encountered often. It might have been difficult for straight women to appreciate just how political a women’s dance was. In New York State it was illegal for two people of the same sex to dance together. Just by dancing, we were challenging as system that refused to let us be ourselves.“ p. 127-128

And here lesbophobia lurks. There is a palpable fear emanating from the straight women Karla Jay’s writes about, the fear of being seen as a lesbian. What would be so terrible in being mistaken for a lesbian by other women? Nothing, unless you hold—and you know the society you live in holds—a terrible view of lesbians, as disgusting and despicable creature, as sex-crazed deviant women. Lesbians are just women who happen to be only attracted to other women. Nothing to fear here.

“Lesbians whose only involvement was withe the Women’s Liberation Movement were generally no better off than those of us connected with the Gay Liberation Front. Most heterosexual feminists were no better at hearing us than gay men were. Conservative elements of the women’s movement were openly hostile to lesbians. For instance, Betty Friedan had branded us a “lavender menace.” Lesbians, she believed, would blight the reputation of the National Organization for Women [NOW] if its members were labeled “man-haters” and “a bunch of dykes.” The very threat of such an appellation led NOW to deny the number of lesbians in its ranks. Lesbophobia was so virulent that NOW omitted the name of the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from the list of sponsors for the First Congress to Unite Women, a conference that NOW organized in November 1969 as a forum for New York area feminists.” p. 137

How hypocritical do you have to be to accept financial donation but refuse to name the benefactors? As I have previously touched upon, the reason for this hostility was mostly a question of appearance in the eyes of men and the mainstream media. The reputation of the women’s liberation movement had to be safe-guarded, lest women participating be described as lesbians, that supreme insult. What a shame that would have been, if these respectable heterosexual women were put in the same basket as lesbians. This performative lesbophobia is but an attempt at appeasing the dominant males, to make sure that even if women are campaigning for a little betterment of their existence, for a little relief from their oppression, men are still not too displeased with them. It’s an attempt to diminish the backlash. But how much are these heterosexual women loosing by compromising in such a way? Haven’t they already lost? By being afraid of what the public and especially the men will think if they are associated with lesbians, have they not immediately failed at liberating women? Because lesbians are women too. As long as one woman is in chain, we are not free, even if this woman is a lesbian.

Rita Mae Brown decried the leadership of NOW as “consciously [oppressing] other women on the question of sexual preference…. Lesbian is the one word that can cause the Executive Committee a collective heart attack. This issue is dismissed as unimportant, too dangerous to contemplate, divisive or whatever excuse could be dredged up from their repression.” (p. 138)

“I some ways the stage was already set for a massive lesbian rebellion. Not all feminist groups, of course, were as homophobic as NOW, and a number of radical women were quietly experimenting with lesbianism. Redstockings’ “prowoman line” publicly supported all women, including lesbians, even if many straight women privately considered our concerns less weighty than those of women who had to do battle every day in the master’s bed. Ti-Grace Atkinson, who had broken from NOW in October 1969 and founded The Feminists, may have been the most pro-lesbian. The Feminists was the only group to limit the number of married women in its ranks. Ti-Grace preached abstinence (the Republicans today would adore her) but accepted lesbianism as an alternative form of sexuality, at least until the revolution had equalized power relations between the sexes. In Amazon Odyssey, a collection of her writings published in 1974, Ti-Grace wrote that “lesbianism has been a kind of code word for female resistance. Lesbianism is, in many ways, symbolic of feminism as a political movement.” She admired lesbianism as a “full commitment” to other women that surpassed the part-time involvement of the women who were married or living with a boyfriend. Of course, some heterosexual women, including Ti-Grace, were fully devoted to feminism, even though they had never engaged in lesbian sex.” p. 138

In a way, it is a relief to learn that some straight women were supportive of lesbian voices. But there also comes the worry that straight women are merely supporting a version of lesbianism that they find palatable and useful to further their own interests. Ti-Grace Atkinson said that “lesbianism has been a kind of code word for female resistance. Lesbianism is, in many ways, symbolic of feminism as a political movement.” but lesbianism is nothing more than female exclusive attraction to women. Nothing political about it, nothing rebellion, nothing of resistance to men. It’s a state of being, and denaturating it as something in relation to men is not helping lesbians. As if we were only lesbians because we hate men, as if we were only lesbians because we want to fight patriarchy. This kind of reasoning opens the door wide for political lesbianism, which is an insult to lesbians.

“But this provisional acceptance was an exception in a movement that was apologetic, dismissive or even downright derisive about the presence of lesbians in its midst. Calls for attention to lesbian issues were attacked as divisive. […] [J]ust as many of the GLF [Gay Liberation Front] women believed that our liberation was intrinsically linked to that of gay men, lesbian/feminists felt a pressing need for the women’s movement to recognize our oppression. As Sidney Abbott and Barbara Love later wrote in their 1972 book Sappho Was a Right-On Woman: “For Lesbians, Women’s Liberation is not an intellectual or emotional luxury but a personal imperative. Living without the approval or support of men, Lesbians desperately need women’s rights. For Lesbians, independence and responsibility for self are lifelong realities and not merely interim needs between support by father and support by husband”.” p. 138-139

Despite lesbians having a strong stake in women’s liberation, because we cannot really compromise with our oppressor or be satisfied with the status quo, lesbians’ voices and expectations are dismissed by mainstream feminism. Again, we might be accused of not having any interest in women’s liberation (because we are not married to men) or of not knowing what we are talking about (because lesbians live in a vacuum and are never oppressed by men), when we could bring some detachment and clarity on the subject of men.

The Lavender Menace action took place in response to mainstream women’s liberation movement completely disregarding lesbian voices. However, it doesn’t seem to have changed much. A few workshops were organised, but things soon returned to the previous normal.

“Although it seems like a long time ago, mainstream feminists still remember the Lavender Menace action. In 1987 I was invited to an awards ceremony […] Afterward, in the lobby, I found myself standing next to Betty Friedan. I was certain that she wouldn’t recognise me—it had been more than a decade since she had last seen me. But she hadn’t changed much, so perhaps I looked more like my old self than I thought. Betty scowled at me. She shifted her drink to her left hand and crooked a gnarled finger in my direction.

“You! You!” she squealed. “You caused me so much trouble!”

I laughed, even though I didn’t think she intended to be funny. “No Betty,” I replied, “you caused yourself trouble. Get over it.” And I walked away.” p. 145-146

Lesbians are not the enemy. We too want women to live free from oppression by men. We just happen to have different experiences than those of straight women. This makes our inputs all the more valuable because they might shed light on some previous blind spots. And remember, lesbians are women too. We also have a stake in women’s liberation, and we deserve to live free of oppression.

First part here.

[buildingrelationshipsinanarchy]

QIM Model | Dekoship Series | Phadship Series | Seroship Series

*As per uze, you dont have to read anything beneath the infographic itself, but I’m gonna try to add some theory to explain why this one excites me the most in the model*

So some significant people in my life and I have been discussing Anarchist theory lately with all of the uprisings and discussions of abolishing police. And while blogs like @queeranarchism​ and @hater-of-terfs​ are so much better read and have better takes on anarchism, direct action, current events, and politics in general, than I could hope to provide, its by those blogs and others that I’m inspired in the ways I am.

Mudships are just affinity groups you built to do some direct action. What is direct action? The link is to CrimethInc’s work Recipes For Disaster, and its intro is a good primer on it. To paraphrase it (who doesn’t like blockquotes?): 

Practicing direct action means acting directly to meet needs, rather than relying on representatives or choosing from prescribed options ... it most properly describes actions that cut out the middleman entirely to solve problems without mediation. 

Need some examples? You can give money to a charity organization, or you can start your own chapter of Food Not Bombs and feed yourself and other hungry people at once. You can write an angry letter to the editor of a magazine that doesn't provide good 72 coverage of the subjects you consider important, or you can start your own magazine. You can vote for a mayor who promises to start a new program to help the homeless, or you can squat unused buildings and open them up as free housing for anyone in need.

...

The opposite of direct action is representation. 

While things can get intense the more confident you get practicing direct action, my purposes here are in regards to relationship building and mutual aid. In the ABC’s of Anarchism, Berkman has this beautiful little quote (you ready for another one?):

If your object is to secure liberty, you must learn to do without authority and compulsion. If you intend to live in peace and harmony with your fellow-men, you and they should cultivate brotherhood and respect for each other. If you want to work together with them for your mutual benefit, you must practice coöperation. 

The social revolution means much more than the reorganization of conditions only: it means the establishment of new human values and social relationships, a changed attitude of man to man, as of one free and independent to his equal; it means a different spirit in individual and collective life, and that spirit cannot be born overnight. It is a spirit to be cultivated, to be nurtured and reared, as the most delicate flower is, for indeed it is the flower of a new and beautiful existence.

So when I talk about monogamy and capitalism, it isn’t to shit on people who do monogamy, its discuss how the cultural institution of monogamy is a social relationship. It’s to discuss not that practicing monogamy is the problem (although you’re not gonna catch me doing it), its to discuss how our culture perceives doing monogamy correctly and how that makes it worth critiquing if we were to imagine building a different society and attempt to make any meaningful steps toward it.

If doing monogamy ‘correctly’ is ‘investing’ time, money, emotional intimacy and sexual attention into one person, its obvious that it leaves so many people out of our lives that could add depth, joy, fulfillment, challenge, and transformative growth and change for us. Margaret Thatcher has a terrible quote: “There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families.” I bring up this trashcan quote by this woman with dumpster politics to critique the idea of Family as well. Monogamy leads to nuclear families, not all of the time, but enough of the time for most of us to have that experience.

But what is Family? Blood ties to people and access to their material resources? That’s how inheritance works, which has torn a part families by fighting over the resources by who gets what. Familiy also has colloquially meant familiarity with certain human beings thats developed or long periods of connection and time. How many of us have found people in our lives who have loved us deeper than our parents and siblings (if you still have, or ever had those)? My father passed a few years ago, and I’m virtually estranged with my mother and younger sister. Family in my life has been the partners and friends through the years who’ve had the patience, grace, and concern for my joy & well-being, it is them who has shared their time, energy, labor, money, food with me when circumstance would steal the ground beneath my feet. To discuss monogamy and family from the lens I’ve constructed is to talk directly about which social relationships become culturally validated and socially encouraged, and with it who gets access to what materials and why we watch others refuse to share it.

I talk about mudships as being relationships built around Mutual Aid and Solidarity, that whatever little circles we’ve built around ourselves don’t interrupt the ability to be charitable and generous with people outside of it. The individualism that’s reinforced by capitalism affects us by separating people from their communities, by leveraging human need against human values, by turning the world outside of our homes into a place ‘full of people who will take advantage of your naivete or good heart.’ This isn’t just some ideological or abstract concept, this word encapsulates why I have the current over my head that I do. It every much discusses how I’ve been able to keep an old roommate afloat after he was laid off of his job and couldn’t claim unemployment; and that was before COVID and its Lockdowns & Quarantines erased a huge chunk of the economy.

I don’t just say this to just encourage sharing. I say this as part of a larger conversation about how we’ve been encultured & propagandized to believe that some people don’t deserve access to healthcare, addiction therapy, housing, food, clean water, this list goes on. I want to start a conversation about building the social relationships that allow us to trust the people we’re sharing money, material resources, and labor with, in our own lives and to inspire the desire to get excited about helping those you may know are in need. 

We have so much need and so many stoked, yet unfulfilled desires that capitalism fuels and feeds off of, but does that mean we can do nothing about it? Does that mean we have to hope another Bernie Sanders shows up? I don’t want the quality of my time on this earth to be suffering in ways I can actively resolve or prevent. But I can’t do that alone, trying to do so is impossible. It isn’t a moral failing to not be powerful in a world separates you from the source of connection, inspiration, and depth, all of which exists in the hearts and potential of others.

Don’t let yourself forget that we always better connected than alienated. 

[alien-romantic]

Taylor Swift, Evermore

A track-by-track review by me, a person who, since Folklore’s release late July, has been dabbling in TS’s music, so I was looking forward to this!!

Written on paper and transcribed here

***************

1. “willow” - “safe and sound” vibes, I really like this one already, I like the references to Folklore, really catchy, she has such a good vocal range it makes me very jealous, plus one for vocal range, plus one for nautical references

2. “champagne problems” - already, the premise of this song is really something... v sad but that’s to be expected at this point lol, plus one for ‘dancing’ lyric, “you had a speech; you’re speechless”, plus one for Reasons, “sometimes you just don’t know the answer”

3. “gold rush” - I really want to make an edit of all the nautical references made in songs I like, plus one for nautical reference, some lyrics here really hit home, plus one for t-shirt reference, “my mind turns your life into folklore”, plus one for tea, needless to say I like this one a lot

4. “‘tis the damn season” - love the guitar on this, yea, plus one for ‘hometown’, plus one for perfume reference, “I won’t ask you to wait if you don’t ask me to stay” - oh oof, “don’t call me ‘kid’, don’t call me ‘baby’” vs “you can call me ‘babe’ for the weekend”, love this song

5. “tolerate it” - a few months ago this would’ve been a really interesting song to listen to, love the 5/4 - plus one, plus two points for personal reasons, great imagery, it’s alright, I like the alternate chorus and bridge - love it

6. “no body, no crime” - premise of this song doesn’t really do it for me - but I’ll listen... very ‘country’, female murder solidarity? Okay sure. Plus one for boat reference? Maybe half a point

7. “happiness” - “please, picture me in the trees”... (don’t really know what to say for this besides -) [insert all lyrics here]... I love “seven” and this is a great sister song imo, plus at least two, yeah plus one for great vocal range [editing note: plus one for me listening through this while writing this post out and loving it still]

8. “dorothea” - (can’t pronounce the title aah), “this place is the same as it ever was” - plus one for hometown, lyric vibe parallels (lol) with “the birthday party” with “does it go through ya when I’m talking to ya” and “and damn Dorothea, they all wanna be ya”, this is an okay song

9. “coney island” - nice so far, “did I shatter you?” - plus one for Reasons, like the imagery, kinda sad and quiet, bridge is nice though I like that

10. “ivy” - immediate “invisible string” vibes, “my house of stone, your ivy grows” - I adore this imagery, plus one for some Reasons, I feel like if I concentrated I could link all the storylines from Folklore and Evermore, plus another one for reasons

11. “cowboy like me” - plus one for a ‘dance’ related lyric, “August” parallel of phone calls, “and I know I’m going to pay for it” hits kinda hard, oh another plus one for ‘skeleton’ related lyric, I like this one - country vibe is a little different to what I’m used to but I like it I guess

12. “long story short” - YO fast paced? Nice. “I always felt I must look better in the rear view”, this is a Bop capital B, I genuinely love how happy she sounds here, plus one for happy vocals [editing note: ts really said fuck the haters I’m out here living my extra life]

13. “majorie” - “never be so polite / you forget your power”, this is a lovely song and tribute... “I should’ve asked you questions, I should’ve asked you how to be”, plus one for my nan and another one for being the only song on the album that made me cry

14. “closure” - hmm, we’ll see... “Don’t treat me like some situation that needs to be handled”, plus one for Reasons, loving the music for this sm, plus one for nautical reference, vibe check: pass, like this a lot, plus one for 5/4 [editing note: clearly I liked this one lol]

15. “evermore” - “writing letters for the fire”, plus one for nautical reference, plus one for a fucking tape recorder reference goddamn, okay this is fab, “barefoot in the wildest winter”, Yo that part was sick, plus two for personal reasons... Wow that was an experience, the change to “this pain wouldn’t be for evermore” was just... *chefs kiss”

Conclusion to a post no one asked me for:

I’m absolutely gonna listen to this and love it like I did Folklore over the summer

Scores:

evermore - 4

happiness - 4

closure - 3

tolerate it - 3

gold rush - 3

‘tis the damn season - 2

ivy - 2

willow- 2

chapmpagne problems - 2

majorie - 2

cowboy like me - 2

coney island - 1

dorothea - 1

long story short - 1

no body no crime - 0.5

[lisalowefanclub]

Multiplicity and what identification and representation means to Us

Madeline: I don’t remember there being many cool, attractive, and overall desirable but not fetishized (bye yellow fever) representations of Asian people in mainstream media while I was growing up in the early 2000s. The Asian media I did consume was introduced to me by my dad, so you can imagine the kind of outdated and endearingly weird characters I was exposed to as a kid. Think blind Japanese swordsman Zatoichi or humanoid child robot Astro Boy, both of which originated in Japan around the 60s. As for celebrities, I occasionally heard people talking about Lucy Liu or Jackie Chan, but only as defined by their stereotypical Asian-ness. My point is that this kind of cultural consumption fell into one of two categories: that of obscurity, which suggests that cultural objects are created by Asians for Asians (bringing to mind labels like “Weeb” for Western people who love anime), or that of hypervisibility grounded in stereotypical exoticism. You’d be hard pressed to find a film that passes the Asian Bechdel test.I didn’t discover K-pop until coming to college when I became curious about who my white friends were fawning over all the time. Since then, it’s been really neat to see how K-pop has become popularized as one of the many facets of America’s mainstream music and celebrity culture, especially when artists write and perform songs in Korean despite the majority of their audience lacking Korean language fluency. This suggests that something about the music is able to transcend language barriers and connect people despite their differences. Today it’s not uncommon to see Korean artists topping Billboard’s hot 100 hits, being interviewed on SNL, winning American music awards, gracing the cover of Teen Vogue, or being selected as the next brand ambassador for Western makeup brands like M.A.C. If you were to ask your average high school or college student if they know Blackpink, BTS, or EXO, they would probably be familiar with one of the groups whether or not they identify as Asian.What does this mean, then, for young Asian-Americans to grow up during a time when Asian celebrities are thought to be just as desirable as people like Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, or Michael B. Jordan? What does it mean to see an Asian person named “Sexiest International Man Alive”, beating out long-time favorite European celebs? What does it mean for popularity to exist outside of the realm of the racialized minority and for it to build connections across minority cultures? Of course, fame can be toxic and horrible-- it is, at times superficial, materialistic, gendered, fetishized, and absolutely hyper-sexualized-- but I for one think it’s pretty damn cool to see people who look like me featured in mainstream American culture.I’ve found that throughout the semester, my understanding of Asian presence in America (American citizen or otherwise) has been deeply shaped by our discussions of identity politics and marginalization, another class I’m taking on intergenerational trauma, and my own identity as a Laotian-American woman. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the similarities between American proxy wars in Korea (The Forgotten War) and Laos (The Secret War), both of which involved US bombing of citizens in the name of halting communism. Taking this class has challenged me to reconceptualize how we make sense of mass atrocity in relation to a pan-Asian identity, especially when contending with how trauma and violence can act as a mechanism for cultural production, and I look forward to exploring this more in my thesis. 

Cyndi:  K-pop is always just the beginning. Enough in and of itself, any interest in the genre at all reinvigorates the consumer to become more engaged with the world in which it exists. Two years ago, I got into a big, but in hindsight pretty silly, argument with my mom when I started going to a Korean hair salon (because of my K-pop delulus / Jennie prints) instead of seeing Maggie, our Vietnamese hairdresser who I can usually only see twice a year on our bi-annual visits to California to visit extended family. My mom told me the Koreans don’t need our money, they are already richer than we will ever be. Who are ‘the Koreans’? Who is ‘we’?? Is every person of Korean descent doing better than every person of Vietnamese descent in America? And #why is my mom being A Hater? Surely, sharing our identity as ‘perpetual guests’ in America should create some sort of solidarity, or at least, allow for transitory economic collaboration??? I give my money to white people all the time: to McDonald’s (Cookie Totes), to Target, to Swarthmore College. 

K-pop cannot be the end. As much as I enjoy the music, the show, and the celebrities, I also know in my heart that the current international interest in K-pop will not last. As an almost perfect and perplexing exemplification of modern global capitalism, the industry will over-expand and thus wear itself out. I always see the subtle disappointment on my language teachers’ faces when they ask me how I came to take interest in Korean, and I have to answer ‘K-pop’, because that is the truth; that is not where I am at now, but it will always be how I began. It has become clear to me that this disappointment is not just a generational difference. Maybe these old people are jealous of pop stars like how I also have to question whether I am secure in myself when I see a 14 year old accomplishing things I as a 21 year old could never accomplish in my long life. I am coming to understand that part of their reaction comes from the fact that there is a fine line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation, that pop culture is ephemeral, but they have lived their lives as entirely theirs. Casual or even consuming interest for the parts of culture that are bright, and clean, and easy cannot ever stand in for true racial empathy, though it is where many of us start. Identity in K-pop is merely another marketing technique, but to the community of fans and lovers, it is something that is real, lived, and embodied. I find that looking at K-pop always brings forth my most salient identities in terms of gender, race, and sexuality. As much as female group members express affection and jokingly portray romantic interest toward one another, would it ever be accepted if these jokes were no longer jokes, but lived realities? Even if the K-pop industry itself did not seek to produce fan communities of this magnitude, these communities that have been founded in response to it are here to stay.  Lowe argues that “to the extent that Asian American culture dynamically expands to include both internal critical dialogues about difference and the interrogation of dominant interpellations” it can “be a site in which horizontal affiliations with other groups can be imagined and realized” (71). A recent striking example is Thai fans’ demand to hear from Lisa on the protests -- a primarily youth-led movement against the government monarchy--going on in Thailand. Although she is, of course, censored and silenced on this topic, the expectation is still there; fans are holding their idols to a standard of political responsibility. 

Jimmy: I haven’t really paid much attention to K-pop until working on this project. Sure, my cousins would do anything to go see BTS perform in person, but I didn’t care so much. Or maybe, I was just not saturated with the cultural zeitgeist. Whereas they live in the center of a cosmopolitan city which imports and exports, my hometown hums white noise. Increasingly, though, K-pop has entered into my life and the wider American cultural space. Now, K-pop tops the charts and is featured on late-night talk shows. Whether or not you are a devout follower, you have probably encountered K-pop in some form. It was not until I went to Swarthmore that I have “become” Asian American. Back home, my friends are primarily either white or Vietnamese-American. And even though I did recognize that I had an “Asian” racial identity mapped onto me, I did not consider it to be based on any politics. After engaging with and working within  Organizing to Redefine “Asian” Activism (ORAA) on campus, as well as taking this course, I have a better grasp of what it means to rally around an Asian American identity. It is a way to organize and resist. Reflecting on my political evolution, I feel comforted and alienated by the cultural weight of K-pop in America. It is amazing to see the gravity of cultural production shift away from the West. And to have global celebrities from Asia is great. Yet, K-pop is limited as a platform for Asian Americans to create identity. What are the consequences when mainstream ideas about contemporary “Asian” culture are still perpetually foreign from America? Is Asian American community just built around transnational cultural objects like K-pop and bubble tea? Does the economic and cultural capital of K-pop held by its idols obscure or erase the heterogeneity and multiplicity of Asian Americans? 

Jason: The first time I heard K-Pop was when Gangnam Style came on during a middle school social event when everyone is standing in their social circles doing their best not to be awkward when teacher chaperones are constantly staring at the back of your head seeing if any wrongdoing would occur. At that time, I could never imagine the K-Pop revolution that would occur within the American music industry.  Anytime I turn on the radio it is only a matter of time until a BTS song will start being blasted from the speakers. It is crazy to think that K-Pop has become so widespread within American popular culture that mainstream radio stations in Massachusetts are so willing to play K-Pop, even the billboards of 104.1 “Boston’s Best Variety” are plastered with BTS, because they know that is what their audience wants. Eight years ago, during that middle school social Gangnam Style was more about being able to do the dance that accompanied the song rather than the song itself. This has completely changed as more and more people are finding themselves becoming devout supporters of K-Pop. This class and project have continuously been pushing me out of my comfort zone by engaging in literature that I would never have read and discussions that I would never have imagined participating in. I have even listened to more K-Pop over the past couple of weeks than I had ever before in my life. I was impressed by myself when a song by BLACKPINK came on and the radio host said here’s some new music that I knew that the song was from their first album that came out around a month ago. I am grateful that I have been pushed out of my comfort zone and “forced (by having to actually do the homework)” to engage in the material of the class. Who knows how long this K-Pop fascination will last in American popular culture, but I am glad that I could be a part of it rather than letting it pass me by and staying within my comfortable music sphere of country, pop, and British rap.  

[sophielovesbooks]

Sophie’s Queer YA Rec List

Hi everyone! :) I’m back with another list of book recommendations! Yes, two of the books on here cross-feature on my Dark Academia Rec List, but here, the focus is different.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my YA LGBTQ+ Rec List!

Her Royal Highness (Rachel Hawkins)

Listen, we’re starting off strong, because this one is an absolute GEM. American girl goes abroad to a fancy boarding school in Scotland. Also, she’s bi, her roommate is the princess of Scotland and the cutest haters-to-lovers situation ensues!! Read if you like fluffier reads, if you’ve ever been on a year abroad, if you’ve ever wanted to go on a year abroad, if you love Scotland or if you’re a girl who likes pretty girls! <3 (Note: This is the sequel to “Royals”, but I didn’t read that one either and you 100% don’t need to in order to understand this one.)

As I Descended (Robin Talley)

Okay, now this one is a lot darker. It’s a queer Macbeth retelling, which is a pretty amazing concept in itself. Also set at a fancy boarding school, but in Virginia. The main girls are a closeted power couple who more or less succumb to the darkness in their strive for even more power. This book is super diverse with Hispanic characters, wlw, mlm and one of the main two girls being disabled (though some people have criticised the way she was written). Read if you want a spooky story, if you love boarding school settings or if you love Shakespeare retellings!

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Alire Sáenz)

This book is a classic of the queer coming-of-age genre, and it reads like one, too! The style is fairly simple, which may take some getting used to, but the author nailed the narrator’s voice, the story is meaningful, the characters feel complex and real and Ari’s fight to accept himself for who he is will break your heart! Set in the 1980s in El Paso, Texas. The two main boys are both Mexican American. And for reasons I can’t exactly put my finger on, this read like a modern-day Catcher in the Rye! Read this book if you want boys fighting to accept the fact that they love boys and complex family dynamics!

If I Was Your Girl (Meredith Russo)

Can ONLY recommend this one! The main character is a trans girl who goes to live with her dad after a traumatic event. At her new school, all she wants is to blend in, but she ends up suddenly popular for the first time in her life and dating a cute boy! This book was definitely fluffy at times, but still dealt with the darker aspects of being trans in this world (trigger warning for depression, dysphoria, a suicide attempt!) Read if, like me, you’re a cis person looking to get a better idea of what it’s like to be trans or if you’re trans and want to see yourself represented! The author is a trans woman herself and the book ends with a really emotional and thoughtful author’s note (that, yes, made me cry).

You Know Me Well (David Levithan & Nina LaCour)

Out of the books on this list, this one focuses the most on LGBTQ+ themes. It’s literally set in San Francisco during Pride Week, and it’s about a gay girl who is madly in love with another girl, but self-sabotages at every turn, and a gay boy, who is madly in love with his best friend, who fools around with him occasionally but doesn’t love him back. One thing that bothered me a bit was the insta-friendship between the two main characters, but I’m here for the gay-lesbian solidarity, and I thought the wlw romance was so cute! Read for a slightly fluffier dual-perspective book with strong LBGTQ+ and coming-of-age themes and a central friendship!

We Are Okay (Nina LaCour)

Oh God, this one. Read only if you are ready to be emotionally destroyed! The main character grew up with her grandfather, and after losing him, too, she feels completely alone. Set during Christmas break of her first semester of college, which she spends on campus in New York. Alone! Until her friend/lover comes to visit and emotionally reconnect with her. Hauntingly and lyrically written, this book is an absolute beauty that had me in literal tears and made my heart hurt. Can only recommend!

People Like Us (Dana Meele)

This one cross-features on my Dark Academia rec list, because it’s set at yet another elite boarding school (yes, this is my thing) and begins with a murder. The wlw themes in this came as a very pleasant surprise! Read if you’re looking for more of a mystery thriller that still includes wlw, but not as the main focus. Personally, I had certain issues with the plot, but the book was still a very engaging, quick and fun read!

Radio Silence (Alice Oseman)

ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME! The main character is Frances, a biracial, bisexual girl whose main goal in life is getting into Cambridge. Her friends see her as nothing but a study machine, but secretly, Frances is the biggest fangirl and draws fanart for a podcast called “Universe City”. The book is all about her close friendship with Aled, who turns out to be the podcast’s creator, academic pressure and figuring out what actually matters to you in life. I connected strongly with the themes of working so hard toward certain goals and not being seen by your friends for who you really are. Read if you want the most adorable platonic friendship EVER (between a bi girl and a demisexual guy), internet culture being represented accurately, wlw and mlm and an incredibly relatable main character!

Autoboyography (Christina Lauren)

Tanner is bi and was happy and out when his family still lived in California, but is forced back into the closet, basically for safety, when his family moved to Provo, Utah, where there are more Mormons than non-Mormons. His best friend Autumn convinces him to sign up for a very special class with her in their final year of high school, where the idea is that every student writes a novel. This is where Tanner meets Sebastian and falls head-over-heels! The problem? Sebastian is Mormon and not allowed to be with another boy. Even worse? He’s the bishop’s son! Read this one for two adorable boys actually going through something incredibly hard together and breaking your heart in the process! What I loved about this was that religion was shown in its full complexity, the good and the bad, and Sebastian’s struggle was so realistic! Also, this love story was much more high stakes than the usual “I’m sure he doesn’t like me back!” non-issue and it really drew me in!

I Was Born For This (Alice Oseman)

Another Oseman book!! (Spoiler alert: It’s also very good!) Told in dual perspective. The first one is Fereshteh, who tends to go by the English translation of her name: Angel. The biggest source of joy in her life is the popular boy band “The Ark”, and she plans to go to London to finally meet her best online friend in person, then go to an Ark concert together with her. The second perspective is Jimmy, a trans boy and one of the three members of the band. Things definitely don’t go as planned that week in London, Angel and Jimmy actually meet, chaos ensues. Read this if you’re looking for a fandom-based story that just gets internet culture and also has a very diverse set of characters! But be prepared for this to actually become very dark and intensely emotional at times! (The characters, especially Jimmy, were struggling more mental-health-wise than I had expected, and it wasn’t always easy to read, so be safe, everybody!)

These are the ones I’ve read so far, but don’t worry, I’ll update this list soon with many more! Already on my TBR (and in some cases even already on my shelves!) are These Witches Don’t Burn, Let’s Talk About Love (asexual main character!!), Tash Hearts Tolstoy (another asexual main character!) and I Wish You All the Best (non-binary rep!!!)

[implexaanima-a]

@siireniis​ said: 🔥🔥🔥 SPILL IT QUEEN

Unpopular Opinions || Accepting

Time to spill the tea

Since when does abuse trump murder? In my opinion BOTH are terrible actions and a person should be held responsible. YET we have all these haters out here, stanning Da.bi, Shigs, and alllll the other villains, but god forbid you stan Over.haul, or Endeav.or, that automatically makes you an apologist or some other bullshit. Just because someone likes Over.haul, or Endea,vor, doesn’t mean they are a bad person. It’s called liking a character with an interesting story. And if you are on the bs train of  “Oh you write them? you are terrible. You write a villain? You write an abuser? You condone their actions!” That’s the BIGGEST load of bs I’ve ever heard. Are you telling me all authors that write serial killers, condone serial killers? Or sexual assault? Guess that means the creator of Law and Order is the worst kind of person huh? If you even think like that, please for the love of my sanity, block me and get out of here. If you think like that but again stan other villains??? you’re the biggest kind of hypocrite. there is literally nothing wrong with liking a well developed, or interesting character with differing opinions than your own.

If you’re an OC blog and you go to a multimuse (that has OCs) and only request to rp with Canon characters... just why? What happened to OC creator solidarity? Especially on a place like tumblr that HATES generally on OCs. No offense but its for reason like that, that Muns stop wanting to interact with fellow OCs and feel as if they are being used, or forced into interactions. I speak from experience as well. Break the mold, rp with fellow OCs, Canon characters should rp with OCs, everyone should give OCs a chance. You’d be surprised by how much blood, sweat and tears went into creating OCs. And at the end of the day, canon characters were someone’s OCs at one point. 

On the point of OCs, they should not overshadow Canon characters. If you write an OC to take the place of, or be stronger than canon characters, write yourself a book/fanfic instead. It’s dick, I know, especially coming from an OC creator, but personally? I find OCs that are not forced into the story, or tethered to a canon ( via family to make them validated), or even overpowered, GOOD OCs. That’s not to say you can’t have an OC maybe help out a canon event a little, but they are not the star, the canon characters are. I think if you can write an OC that isn’t freakishly strong, related to Canon and still has a good and developed backstory that allows them to stand on their own rather than having to lean heavily on canon, they are good, especially because it speaks volumes of the hard work and thought you put into them. I get so excited seeing the creativity behinds OCs and highly encourage the creation of them. But personally, nothing turns me off more than seeing an OC related to a canon character, or one that seems OP with hardly any drawbacks. That’s borderline Mary/Gary Sue to me, even if they aren’t the all around likable character. That’s just me though. 

[27timescinema]

INTERVIEW - MATEUSZ PACEWICZ

By Stephen Porzio (pics © Natalia Ryba)

Originally published on the Europa Cinema’s blog.

Corpus Christi is a young adult’s deal: director Jan Komasa is 37 years old and his screenwriter Mateusz Pacewicz, is only 27 years old. During Venice Film Festival, where the film was awarded with the Europa Cinemas Label, the Irish ambassador for 28 Times Cinema interviewed Mateusz, for whom Corpus Christi is a first feature film. The film has since then been selected to represent Poland in the Oscars race. Below is a report of their conversation.

Venice Film Festival goers were blown away by Polish drama and Europa Cinemas Label winner Corpus Christi, centring on a young ex-convict who masquerades as a priest, duping a small-town parish. That said, many were perhaps unaware of the story’s basis in real life.

“I was obsessed with true stories about priest impersonators from Poland,” says screenwriter Mateusz Pacewicz. “It happens. Every year - sometimes every half year - there's a new case. It's a social phenomenon. Even where we were shooting the film, it came out there was a priest impersonator there. It's that popular.”

On why someone would impersonate a priest, Pacewicz says: “Money is the primary motivation, as well as I think this weird combination of prestige and high social status. But to be somebody who can impersonate a priest, you need to have something - a kind of spirituality.”

“What fascinated me from the beginning was the ambivalence of the premise. We have somebody who maybe just does it for money. Perhaps, it’s also for some emotional profit. He wants to feel he's someone better than he really is. Maybe it’s a whole different reason. This multi-dimensionality was what kept me going working on the story.”

To prepare to write Corpus Christi, Pacewicz also studied the New Testament and read about Menocchio, a 16th century Italian miller burnt at the stake by the Inquisition for his unorthodox religious views. The latter was deeply devout to God but critical of the Catholic Church’s wealth stating: "I believe the spirit of God dwells in all of us ... and I also believe that anyone who has studied can become a priest without being ordained, because it is all a business.”

The spirit of Menocchio certainly looms large over Corpus Christi. Yes, the central figure of Daniel (a star-making turn by Bartosz Bielenia, nailing the duality of his character) perhaps begins his deception for selfish reasons. Yet, he is a true Christian who winds up doing more for his new community - a village still healing from the aftermath of a car crash which killed numerous of the town’s teens – than its previous minister.

According to Pacewicz, the film depicts what might happen if the Catholic Church returned ‘to its roots of solidarity and a more democratic structure.’ Elaborating the writer says: “What's weird about Catholicism is it's an extremely hierarchical organisation. This doesn't really make sense when you read the New Testament.”

Corpus Christi impressively juggles tone, switching between comedy, drama and more thriller elements. “That was the most difficult thing for me – to balance those genres,” says Pacewicz. “I was afraid it would become lukewarm in the end, lacking intensity because of those different aspects.”

“But I felt it was the only way I could tell this story - to have a little of those funny moments where we laugh because we see someone like us in a situation very different to ours. Those laughs are moments of empathy with this character who otherwise can be quite distant.”

Pacewicz praises the film’s director Jan Komasa for helping navigate those tonal shifts. “He did a tremendous job at balancing it, something I struggled with while writing. He creates this chaos where actors will improvise a scene for ten minutes that has little to do with the three sentences we need.”

“While on set, I was like 'where's my script?'. But later watching the dailies, I thought 'Oh, here it is. Everything is right'. I don't know if it's just intuition or a plan but he creates this organic atmosphere where stuff just happens and he gets exactly what he wants and nobody notices when.”

The two are set to collaborate again on a substantially different project, Suicide Room: The Hater, a sequel to Komasa’s 2011 tech thriller. “Right after Corpus Christi began, Jan asked whether I'd like to work on another film. It tells the story of a young guy from a small village who comes to this elitist family because he's in love with their daughter.”

“He is rejected by this big city family and seeks vengeance through his job at a buzz marketing agency where he creates fake news and destroys people. It is very different to Corpus Christi. It's not quiet. It's loud.”

One hopes their upcoming film will continue Poland’s strong cinematic output of late (Pawel Pawlikowski’s 2018 drama Cold War garnered three nominations at this year’s Academy Awards). Speaking about his nation’s cinema Pacewicz says: “A few years ago, Corpus Christi might have gone unnoticed. Back then, we didn’t have sales agents interested in Polish cinema. It was like ‘yeah send us the link, maybe we will watch it.’”

“It’s changed significantly over the last five years. There’s this surge. I think it's partly connected to Pawlikowski and his recent success. Right now, when you do something in Poland, people in Los Angeles - if it gains some international recognition - will know about it.”

Pacewicz was full of praise for the Europa Cinemas Label recognising Corpus Christi. Awarded by a jury of Europa Cinemas exhibitors, the prize aims to increase the promotion, circulation and exhibition lifespan of winning films. This is through various schemes aimed at raising the top movie’s profile.

“These awards are extremely important. Movies like Corpus Christi are intimate and quiet. They can get lost amongst today’s overwhelming amount of content. From this perspective, these awards can be a game-changer for a film like ours.”

Pacewicz is also delighted the Corpus Christi will get to be screened in theatres. “Personally, I find it very hard to fully experience a film without watching it in a cinema. It's a completely different ritual, one that is very needed in the short attention span time we live in. Corpus Christi would be difficult to watch on your tablet while jogging.”

“I believe this is a story that can resonate with many diverse cultures and people from different contexts. This prize is another step towards sharing our film with viewers from all over Europe and the world.”

[moodboardinthecloud]

The Darwin Variant, and/or Love of the Fittest

The chaos grows and grows, everything around us faltering, falling. Who do we need to be and who are we becoming?

Once I was in a room with Margaret Wheatley, one of the people whose thinking on emergence and complexity helped me understand emergent strategy. I (or someone else) asked how we bring down massive systems through small, complex organizing. She said, essentially, that systems that are top heavy will inevitably collapse from their own imbalanced weight.

How do we survive these falling systems? Especially when many of them need to fall? How do we prepare for the opportunities in collapse?

I am thinking about that in this era of Covid, climate catastrophe, natural and unnatural disasters (this week there are wildfires, floods, droughts, earthquakes, and  disaster capitalism feeding off of all of it), cultural shifts, and long-term war consequences from indigenous struggles locally in the U.S. to the Taliban in Afghanistan. It’s all connected – decisions made from a competitive, supremacist, dominant mindset lead to top heavy economies and infrastructures, which inevitably collapse, leaving the survivors to contend with the detritus of empire.

Much of the crisis now feels out of our hands – even to me as a fairly connected radical movement person, most days it feels like a series of unstoppable events, to which I can offer prayer and donations, witness and attention. There are so many frontlines, each equally important to the soldiers in that particular battle. Stepping back to see it whole, there’s definitely the sense that we are trying to hold back tsunamis by plugging a million holes in a dam.

I realize that this sense of total pending and unfolding disaster is all over my Covid responses, thoughts and interactions. I am writing to face this disastrous feeling within me, to see if I can center a different perspective down in myself.

As both an antiwar and climate activist, I remember the devastation I felt when I first realized we weren’t going to be able to stop the wars against Afghanistan and Iraq. People were not going to sustain direct action, they were still going to pay their taxes towards the war, and be satisfied with resistance in the form of liberal punditry that changed nothing. This week we leave behind another nation long violated, knowing it will be eaten alive. It has taken so long to say, with humility, we lost a war we should never have been fighting.

With the climate catastrophe, I realized in my gut that we weren’t going to pivot our nation, our states, our towns to be in a just transition, not in time. Organizers inch forward proposals of survival and boundary, documentation and data, the responses much smaller and slower than the pending crises demand. We are up against capitalism, which feels so big, has so many heads. It is all so daunting. It is still the right work. But how do we make it matter? How do we meet the moment?

It could feel reasonable to give up the fight, all the fights, in light of this overwhelming comprehension of our species in its limitations. But then we are also in a period of massive cultural shift around race, anti-Blackness, rape and patriarchy. Systems designed to allow the total violence and control of those given power through a mythical supremacy are suddenly exposed down to the blueprint. Again, that labor of exposure is largely done by organizers who cleared space for the truth to be told with calls of Black Lives Matter and Me Too. We are rejecting these systems of harm in policy, action, and interpersonal encounters.

It’s all crumbling, concurrently. We are living through both the devastating fall of systems that guarantee life, and the necessary fall of systems that uphold violence.

So then Covid enters, stage right. It’s fast moving, wreaking havoc along the fault lines of existing vulnerabilities – those struggling to piece together enough inside of these multiple intersecting crises are hustling, hungry, taking risks to go to work, trying to survive eviction and exposure. Nations who let collective thinking lead are responding intelligently, and then there’s us.

Since the beginning, Covid has asked one thing of us: act collectively. First, the collective actions were maintaining the social distance of breath, hand washing, wearing masks. Then it was staying home unless you were an essential worker. And quarantining if you were sick. Then quarantining even if you were not sick. Doing work and community through virtual connections. And then, most recently, it’s been getting a vaccine that reduces the hospitalizations and deaths of those exposed to the virus. I cannot truly comprehend how many people have died as we figured out the necessary actions to take together. And now people are dying because we struggle to take collective actions.

To be fair, we are also in a period of peak socialized distrust. The divisions between us are dangerous and near total – we look to divergent news sources, have different conversations, suspect different aspects of government (from police to politicians to scientists) of wanting us surveilled, tracked, controlled or dead. Four years of a destructive and immature president did result in a wall, but not the border wall he threatened. The wall that now feels so solid in the U.S. is a cultural one that has deep roots and an ancient design, 3D printed hateful troll bricks stacked on top of colonial ruins.

Trying to be curious, to ask a question, to express a fear, to make a request, to assume a commonality – all of it quickly gets interpreted as building the division. Inside of this, on whatever side is for life moving towards life, I have been asking myself about boundaries, expectations, solidarity, and collective action. And love.

I now live by these words from my friend Prentis Hemphill, “Boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and me simultaneously.” Love. Not tolerate or survive, but love. When I speak these words, as reminder, as mantra, they give me hope that no one has to be disposable, cut off from that vast connectivity of love. It’s just a matter of distance.

I learned some time ago that not everyone was going to survive and see liberation, or right relationship with the earth, in this lifetime. Not everyone was going to be in vibrant, accountable communities in this lifetime. Not everyone was going to choose love. Not everyone was going to even be aware that they could want or need such interdependence. For so many people, it feels impossible to experience love, to give and receive that sacred extension of adoration, devotion, care, growth, belonging, loyalty and shared experience.

But with distance, perhaps even as far away as the moon, I can always see the species as lovable. I can see that everyone deserves that deep belonging which displaces greed and grasping. I can see us, young, beautiful, powerful, clumsy, tender, selfish – and generally lovable, like a rambunctious and curious child. Or sometimes lovable like the traumatized, neglected bully child who needs so much more love and attention to soften and trust and connect again.

With enough distance, I can love even those who, up close, hate me, or hate the earth, or hate anything different from them. I know “only love can conquer hate.” From far away I can see the haters of the world – those who hate nature, difference, complexity, freedom in others – in the grip of their own spiritual work, which is daunting, which devours from within. Knowing almost nothing of the mysteries of the universe, having only our own planet’s wisdom to learn from, I deduce that even the haters are processing something for the whole, though it may be something toxic, or something heading towards extinction.

With that guidance, I have been earnestly asking myself: what is the distance at which I can love those who choose individual freedom over collective care in the short-term, at the cost of a future? Those who choose to go unmasked? Those who still don’t wash their hands? Those who breathe and cough too close to me? Those who have access to and capacity for the vaccine and choose not to take it?

This year has been a brutal and necessary reminder that control and manipulation don’t work, for anyone involved. I have had to practice self-awareness of my own controlling nature, I have had to soften my grip on a fearful future narrative and return to the humility of the present. I am not in control of any choices or boundaries but my own. I cannot manipulate others into collective action, into choosing life, not even with all my best words. I can only be vulnerable, I can only live into my own values, I can only invite others to join me, and to teach me.

Collective action is still made up of individual choices, which is the beauty and bane of our species. Especially in the colonized capitalist borders of the U.S. Even in the face of policy and punishment, the American way is to choose individual thinking and action under pressure, to fight for superiority on any hill. This focus on dominance over the living rather than partnership with life is how we have racism, rape culture, climate catastrophe, economic disparity, war and disease all in rampant disaster states at the same time.

It is perpetually disgusting to contend with the reality that these disasters benefit a bloated elite. And too many of us participate in our small scale versions of their individualistic and hoarding worldview, thinking we are better than each other and the earth, deserve unlimited resources and access, and should never have to adapt to protect others.

This is humanity at our worst. How will we change?

At a certain point, even if collective action feels far away, there has to be an awareness of the pattern. We have to develop the systemic intuition to sense that the same glitch is present throughout all the systems. Thinking that your choices only impact you or those you immediately know – that you needn’t be concerned with or accountable for the results – is supremacist thinking at the root. It gets packaged as freedom and independence, but we are not individual entities. Humans, like all of nature, live within systems of relationship and resource. Our freedom is relational. Individualist supremacy is a delusional concept, perhaps safely enjoyed as fantasy but not to be applied as common practice. One way to see all of the current crises is as a single delusional wildfire consuming time and space.

What do we do though? How do we practice another way inside so much crisis?

I have a very small circle of beloveds now. Covid required me to get clear about who I absolutely had to be in contact with, who I would invest my time in arguing boundaries with, who I would risk my life to go see. Relative to the number of people I’ve met, the number of people I’ve marched with and for, the number of people on the side of justice and liberation who populate this earth…it turns out there’s a tiny handful that I can actually hold onto. And I now believe my work is to be a good member of the human flock with that small number. Yes, I can still sing out my birdsong to the whole forest. But I move in community, in relationships that are visionary and loving at the root.

I light candles every day around my hope that the distance at which I can love most people in this era isn’t that mortal boundary between life and death.

Covid keeps adapting, like a shepherd herding us as a group through the one gate that leads forward. When we think we alone can run off and stop attending to the whole, a variant emerges to gather us back groupward. The idea of being herded generates such resistance in me, “WE ARE NOT SHEEP!”, “I AM NOT A COW!” (“imspecialimspecialimspecial”)…and yet, are these not also sacred and communal creatures from whom I can learn? In this moment, perhaps theirs is the wisdom we need. Can we adapt to be herd, to be meek, to belong, to move together, to be humble together? Or maybe it’s more simple, more literal: can we be satisfied in a smaller range of physical space? Can we be satisfied inside of necessary boundaries?

It’s quite clear that one activity that keeps the majority of people safe and, coincidentally?, has a positive impact on the planet, is to stay home, stay still, travel less, reduce each personal footprint towards a collective reduction of negative impact. Perhaps variants like Delta will come every time we attempt to return to a normal that the planet cannot sustain.

I heard someone call it the Darwin variant and I can’t stop thinking about that.

The first waves of Covid deaths were our loved ones and strangers who didn’t know what it was. Then those who knew the name and symptoms but didn’t stand a chance. Then those who didn’t realize or trust just how dangerous it was. Now we are seventeen months into the official global pandemic, playing chicken. Most of those who are getting sick and dying in the U.S. now are doing so as a result of choosing not to believe in Covid, in its viral nature, or in the benefits and safety of the vaccine; or those who think they are beyond the reach of guidelines; or those most susceptible to misinformation from unverified sources; or those unable to avoid interaction with others caught up in denial or misinformation, tragically including our precious babies.

They all still expect and need care.

I feel empathy for those who don’t trust the government, even as I feel my own righteous distrust. What’s been helping me in this moment is how much I love the divine work of science. I believe that the sacred force that designed hummingbirds and eagles and the symbiosis of bees and flowers and the desalination of the ocean through vapor and rain also moves through the minds of our scientists. I feel a primal longing for more people to trust in the curiosity-based practice of science. I feel a political need for science to be decoupled from big pharma, which feels so close to how I need movements to be decoupled from big philanthropy. But currently it’s all the same tangled rope of innovation and struggle and funding to which we cling over an apocalyptic abyss. I am not trying to be dramatic here, I’m just being with what is.

Charles Darwin was a scientist whose writing explored many concepts, including one from Herbert Spencer: ‘survival of the fittest.’ The concept reverberates into moments like this. The common misinterpretation is that it means survival of the most physically fit, an ableist view. I’m sure you, like me, have seen able-bodied people argue against Covid safety protocols by saying those with strong immune systems will survive. Many of those I’ve seen take this stance have gone on learn through sickness or loss that that’s not how Covid, or any of our other current apocalyptic conditions, actually work.

I was reminded recently (in public) that Darwin’s own writing points to ‘fittest’ meaning those most adaptive and collectively oriented, those most suited to the immediate conditions. Our immediate conditions are chaotic, frightening, fast-changing and inevitable. What is grossly imbalanced is teetering and falling. What is wildly anti-planet and inhumane is exposed and falling. What is cruel and violent and unfair and ridiculous, it’s all falling.

And the persisting question for me is, what is the work of love in all this falling? Can love help us be the fittest our species has been?

I have sought to offer and experience all kinds of love throughout my life. I have learned that I can love people who will still choose to leave me, to risk their lives, and I will feel grief. I have been learning that there is the big collective massive love I feel for all that lives, and then the tangible offer of love as an energy, resource and commitment which I can only give to those with whom I am in a mutual, consensual and aligned relationship.

I find it hard to love those who hate science, and hate me…not impossible, at least in the big picture setting. But working to actively love those who hate me is immense labor, and if I am honest with myself, it’s generally not something I’m even interested in cultivating in the irreplaceable hours of my remaining life.

Because my love feels rooted not just in myself, but in myself as a fragment of the miraculous natural world, I notice the patterns of hate at the interpersonal, interspecies and global level. There is an undeniable overlap between this resistance to science and the resistance to wear a mask, socially distance and/or vaccinate, in spite of data that affirms the life saving impacts of each choice. And all of that overlaps with the resistance to do right by the earth. The resistance to move beyond capitalism to economic models that allow shared abundance. And the resistance to give up patriarchy and white sociopathy. And national supremacy.

How do I love this vast diversity of human beings, beloved and stranger, who are currently toxic to our collective survival?

I only see one way. If I define love as the willful extension towards spiritual growth that bell hooks and M. Scott Peck told me about, then when I come across all this resistance to the miraculous and collective aspects of our species, I willfully extend my energy towards the necessary and inevitable growth evidenced by that resistance.

It liberates my love to see the resistance to science and nature and interdependence as a cry for help, a sign of how important it is that we grow our capacity to act as collective beings. And, as is my practice, when I can see where that edge of growth is, I seek it in myself. Where in my own life do I still persist in actions that presuppose my importance and supremacy, rather than accept my small role in our collective existence?

I have begun to feel gratitude inside my Covid grief. It’s the result of thinking collectively, even trying to think as a cell or atom of this planetary existence, awkward as that may sound. Even as I despair at the deaths of those who didn’t have a chance to choose, and those who did not survive their risks, I have to acknowledge what else I sense here…at a certain point we have to consider that Covid might be aligned with the earth, of the universe, designed to get us to fight for ourselves, love ourselves as collective beings, love ourselves enough to set and hold boundaries that serve more than our individual wants and needs.

Can I surrender the recent-normal for the present need? Can I commit to practicing a new and limited present-normal for the sake of a species-future? Can I listen more deeply to the earth, to the patterns? Can I keep finding the space to feel for direction within the chaos?

It’s so complicated.

It is much easier for me to love those who want collective human life to continue, in right relationship to the planet. But perhaps that’s evolution moving in me, perhaps this is a sacred attention, a ‘love of the fittest?’

Even now, as I write this, I still love people who choose themselves over the collective every time. And, I’m noticing, every day they feel further and further away. Or I do.

Seeing the pattern of life unfolding inside the destruction and chaos, I keep bringing my attention to it. I despair and then seek laughter, seek the community of others who feel afraid but keep working to connect. I relinquish being right for being present. I don’t deny reality as I find my place in the present moment and try to be of the fittest in constantly changing conditions.

I don’t wait for perfection or magic, I participate in the mundane work of staying alive. I keep my distance, wash my hands, wear my mask, carry my vaccine card. I get tested at every possibility of Covid. If something gets through my mask, if a variant finds me in spite of my best effort, it won’t be for lack of trying to live. If the vaccine works for most people who get it, but somehow not for me, I accept my role in the collective story.

And in my life I keep writing, keep working to shift myself out of the center of anything. I shift my practices one at a time away from capitalist socialization that says I need to be the best at something to deserve a quality life. I redistribute attention, time, donate money…and ask for help.

I am rooting myself amongst people who are learning to think and act together, as pairs, small groups, communities. We ask each other more questions, about what we are choosing to practice and why. We know so much more about each other’s lives and patterns than ever before. We process our inevitable risk-taking with each other because we are imperfect, and we long for each other. We are raising children inside these unclear, ever-shifting boundaries, and we are moving our resources around amongst us to get through. Sometimes we find that in the light of all this new transparency, we aren’t as compatible as we thought. It’s OK. We let each other go on different paths through the adventure, and root with the people on our path.

So are these answers, these small breaths in the maelstrom?

Small circles rooted in love. Relinquishing control and offering love. Mundane practices as acts of love.

Humility in the face of the unknown is self-love. Seeing and shaping the whole, not as a million overwhelming waves, but as a sea – this is collective love. Living in generosity and gratitude, every day, is living love. Being nature, is being love.

It certainly feels like love is the way.

Perhaps. Perhaps.

And this may or may not fit in this piece of thinking and writing, but love is asking me to mention that I am centering pleasure even now, within the small circle. We are a pleasure flock, comforting each other, cheering each other on towards our best lives even today in these conditions. Pleasure connects us to ourselves and each other, to the aliveness at the funeral, to the blessing in the crisis, to the sweet new life pushing green up through the sludge.

We who are not yet dead are responsible for living fully, without regrets, with deep reverence for the wide range of emotion in the human experience. I look for the pleasure of home, of rooting and nesting, of growing things, of moving slowly, of being honest, of writing, of cooking, of dancing, of gratitude, of love. Every single day I dose myself with pleasures small and large, knowing that as it all falls apart, so much is growing; knowing that within myself and my circle I am seeding a path towards a future in which feeling and growing pleasure and aliveness and delight, in relationship to each other and our abundant and perfect planet, is our central focus.

There. It is long, but I have shifted myself from despairing overwhelm back to visionary center. It is a gift that I can only fulfill my own small destiny, follow the instructions that are clearest to me, move with my own consecrated choreography. When I feel completely lost, I can focus each day on being kind, being generous, and being honest. I light candles for all I cannot carry, and then move into the present moment with only my love. As everything crumbles above and around us, it is still true that the most strategic move is the ever changing dance of love.

http://adriennemareebrown.net/2021/08/19/the-darwin-variant-and-or-love-of-the-fittest/

[meriwebnet]

Significance & importance of 12 Rabi ul Awwal

There is something that truly connects directly to your heart, when the atmosphere changes, weather changes & so the fragrance all over the sky. When sky changes its color and a cold breeze touches your not only skin but your soul. Well, this is happening with me right now; my favorite Islamic Holy Month has just started. To those who didn’t know about it let me clarify a bit. It is a month that interacts with you emotionally, engages you with all good terms & connects you more with Allah Subhan A’talah & his last messenger Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W). This is the month when our beloved Holy prophet P.B.U.H was born. 12 Rabi ul Awal; beginning of spring. That cherish you, makes you happy inside & outside. I can write a lot of things about this. I was born in an area where people are really active when it comes to Rabi ul awal. We put lights, decorate streets, wear white shalwar kameez, Organize Milad un Nabi, you may see every house is covered with fairy lights here. I’ve discussed this tradition in the end. 

I am so fond of these little gestures since my childhood but now things have changed. We are leaving this area very soon, I might not be able to see these fairy decorated streets again. I might not be able to admire every bit of this month. I might not be able to go to my rooftop & adore the whole view of my area. Pretty emotional, right? But it always the part of our duty to make ourselves much better than before, every month which comes in our way brings a special message. Our Prophet P.B.U.H was full of dignity, held no hate nor grudges. Forgave everyone who hurt him, faced his haters with his beautiful smile. He was the Man of his own beauty. He, every night prayed for his Ummah. Ummah; that believes in One God. He cried & asked Allah to forgive his Ummah, where Ummah is busy in politics, in sins, in full of hate towards each other not a majority but some of them. His life teaches us to love, to set an example for coming generations, to show gratitude towards everyone and not only Muslims. In Islam Humanity is first and then the rest. He is the source behind all the communication that directly comes from Allah. He delivered each & every ayah with love & His actions. On this third month of 12 rabi ul awal 2019, we celebrate it by reciting Durood; to send our salaam & Allah's blessings to Our Beloved Muhammad S.A.W.W. May peace be upon him. It is the practice; to evaluate our inner self, to find our journey, to look up where we are heading to, to compromise for our loved ones, to distribute & contribute, to cherish each & every blessings that we have, to be grateful, to gather all the hopes again & believe in Allah, to pray and to donate; Sadqah Jariya, a key to Jannah.

Significance of Rabi ul Awwal

I have a lot of significance to mention but let me introduce you to the most important ones: There should be an alarm always to remind Muslims, that this life is temporary & we shall have to go back, back to where we have come from. To Allah. From admiring & praising the world’s significance to practicing Deen for Akhirah; the day of judgement, we keep changing our perspectives towards life, towards people & temporary fame and money that we always thought were permanent. The more you rectify your own reasons for problems, the more you get connected to what you are missing. Every Islamic month has its own value that enhances the tradition & provokes the cultural unnecessary demands. The Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.W once said, “Most of your sins are because of your tongues.” His way of life teaches us brotherhood, dignity, trust, equality & faithfulness. Forbid us from enmity; no violence & just peace, peace that can bring charm & nepenthe between two nations, two countries, two groups or in between two people. Do you know what Sabi-wabi is? An individual who discovers the beauty in imperfections, molding the projections without the fear to fail, admits the cycle of life & death. A one who accepts that everyone has to die. No one will stay forever even if they want to. Everything that we earn, we collect, we hide won’t help us to enter in to Jannah, until unless we are reading the Quran; holy book that consists of every knowledge. Now let’s come to the topic that I mentioned earlier:

Traditions

Every nation, culture owns its different yet familiar way to celebrate this happiness. Decorations: In particular areas, Muslims use to decorate their houses with fairy lights & green flags. For this particular day, they paint the wall with quotes to remind people of their responsibilities of their family & friends. Preaching: Fountains, cakes, sweets, food, prayers, late night preaching of the importance of Holy Prophet’s ahadees. Its all about the part of this Country’s tradition. We spread joy, komorebi; a Japanese word that refers a sunlight that sparks from tress, Fida; a Swedish word that refers to show that we appreciate every good thing in life & live a life according to the teachings of P.B.U.H. Important Events: Muslim on eid milad un nabi usually plan marriages, starting a life with this blessing day is beyond metanoia; again, a Greek word that refers to change one’s mind, heart, self, way of life; spiritually connected conversations. Now you can imagine yourself.  UNITY: We wear white clothes to live in that beautiful moment & show the world that we are united, we support each & every human who is in pain, we are against any law which is unjustified in every way for humans. Greetings: We greet everyone with humbleness, simplicity & solidarity. We as Muslims are not allowed to judge and spread rumors. It is against the preaching of Our Beloved Last Prophet P.B.U.H.  In the end, I would love to wish you a very gleeful, beaming and blissful Eid Milad Un Nabi Mubarak. Read the full article